


The Au Pair

by lisavslisa



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Adult Content, Adultery, Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Au Pair, California, Cheating, Consensual Infidelity, Emotional Infidelity, F/M, Falling In Love, Famous Harry, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Infidelity, Love, New Jersey, New York, Sex, Sexual Tension, harry styles and louis tomlinson still best friends, harry styles with kids, nanny - Freeform, post one direction, set ten-ish years in the future, styles children
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-06-12 11:48:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15339231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lisavslisa/pseuds/lisavslisa
Summary: He was her boss – the father of the children she watched on a daily basis that summer.But that didn’t keep her from going after what she wanted.He never even saw it coming.“Sex:  the thing that takes up the least amount of timeand causes the most amount of trouble.”—John Barrymore





	1. {one}

**Author's Note:**

>  
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>   
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“I got the job!” Nikola Banks said as she bustled through her apartment door finding her roommate Kelsey sitting on the couch studying for her finals.

“No way!” Kelsey said, putting down her study manual, turning her attention on her excited friend.

“WAY!” Niko said, throwing her purse and keys down on the table.

“That’s awesome. I’m happy for you,” Kelsey said, smiling genuinely at Niko.

“Thanks,” Niko beamed back, feeling the excitement vibrating through her body.

On a whim, Niko applied for a nanny job that would take her clear across the country with a family on their summer vacation. The Styles family lived on the east coast, but took a trip to Malibu, California every year for the entire summer and Niko was chosen to be one of the nanny’s that would be taking care of the two young children – one boy and one girl. She didn’t really have much experience with children, other than babysitting her nieces and nephews here and there, but she thought the opportunity was just too good to pass up. And fortunately for her, the mother hired her on the spot.

“So what are they like?” Kelsey asked curiously.

“Well, there are two kids. A girl and a boy. The girl is five and the boy is seven—” Niko began to explain.

“What are the parents like?” Kelsey cocked her eyebrow.

“The mom is… nice?” Niko said, not entirely sure she even believed what she just said. _Nice_ was definitely not the best describing word for the woman she met only an hour prior, but she didn’t want to just come out and say she was an uptight bitch.

“What does that mean?” Kelsey asked with a giggle.

“She’s a little… _curt_. She is really into her job. I mean, seriously. She interrupted the interview three times to take business calls, but whatever,” Niko said, shrugging it off, trying to give the lady the benefit of the doubt.

“What’s the dad like? Is he hot? I mean he’s only like thirty, right? That’s prime-time sexiness,” Kelsey asked, bouncing her eyebrows expectantly at Niko, causing her to laugh out loud.

“Jeez,” Niko chuckled.

“What? I need to know you’re going to have a good summer,” Kelsey smirked, cocking her eyebrow.

“I’m sure the level of fun I’m going to have isn’t going to have anything to do with Mr. Styles. I haven’t even met the guy. He wasn’t there,” Niko laughed out loud.

“I’m just saying, hopefully the guy is hot so you’ll have something to look at this summer,” Kelsey smirked suggestively at her friend.

“Yeah, because I’m sure there is a shortage of hot guys in Malibu, California,” Niko said as she rolled her eyes at her depraved roommate as she headed off to her bedroom to get ready for her evening class.

…

“So are you excited to be headed back to California?” Louis Tomlinson asked his best mate Harry as they sat at an outdoor café in New York City eating lunch together.

“Yeah. But I just wish Julia was a bit more excited about it,” Harry frowned, thinking about the fight he and his wife just got into before he left for his lunch date.

The company Julia worked for was going through some huge merger with another company, and with the way she talked about it, it was almost as if the whole thing was placed solely on her shoulders, even though Harry knew differently. She lived and breathed her career, making it nearly impossible for Harry and their two children – Jackson and Avery – to even spend any time with her. That was why their annual family summer vacation to California had Harry smiling a little brighter. That was, until the fight they had that morning about how Julia would need to transfer all her work across the country and how she felt it would be best to post-pone the trip indefinitely because of the merger. Harry left the house after putting his foot down, telling Julia to do what she needed to do to get ready, because the trip was happening whether she liked it or not.

“Is she still working non-stop on that deal?” Louis asked, giving him a look of sympathy.

“That’s all she does. Seriously. It’s like she barely leaves her office at work and when she’s home, she barely leaves the office there,” Harry scoffed, wiping his mouth on his napkin. Louis nodded in response as he took a bite of his own food.

“I mean, it’s been months since we’ve, _you know_ … had sex. She’s always so exhausted and whenever I try, she always gets angry over it. And then it makes me angry. And it’s just a vicious cycle,” Harry sighed, feeling the tension and anger that built up inside of him over the last year or so.

“That’s rough,” Louis said, contorting his face into a look of pity.

What Harry really didn’t need was pity from Louis. All he needed was a little intimacy from his wife. Louis had no problem getting his wife to fork over the goods. But for some reason, it was a god damn war to get his dick any attention these days.

“Well, maybe this vacation will be good for you both. Maybe she’ll be able to relax a little and help you out in that sense,” Louis said, being the optimist he was.

“I mean, at this point, it can’t get any worse,” Harry sighed, shrugging his shoulders, hoping for the best.

After his quick lunch with Louis, Harry headed home to relieve Julia of kid duty. On the weekends, she always tended to really get into her work tasks in the time between lunch and dinner, so Harry knew she’d be itching to get a start on it the moment he stepped foot in the door.

“Oh, _thank god_ ,” Julia sighed once she saw Harry.

She looked entirely frazzled, having just spent a good chunk of the morning and part of the afternoon with the kids. She was a good mother, but sometimes Harry really wished she took on more of a nurturing role with them. But instead, she was so apathetic sometimes, as if she didn’t know how to show affection for the two little lives she had a hand in creating.

Julia wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of having children in the first place. It was a struggle to even get her to entertain the idea, with her _my body is my temple_ way of thinking. But somehow Harry convinced her to have at least one – which brought their son Jackson into the world. When she got pregnant with Avery, it was a complete shock to both of them. Avery was Harry’s little miracle baby, because after Jackson, he got used to the fact that he was only ever going to be a father of one. But the world was always full of surprises.

Before Julia rushed off to whatever conference called she needed to connect to, Harry gave her a quick kiss on the cheek which seemed to go almost unnoticed, and only made him roll his eyes in the end. Nothing he did lately made any sort of a difference. He could never seem to break the shell of her cold exterior. She was all work and no play – such a contrast of the woman he married seven years before.

Harry took in a deep breath and let it out hard before shaking off the awkward embrace with his wife so he was able to focus wholly on his children, who happily greeted him the moment they saw him.

In the short few hours between the time Harry arrived home and the time dinner was ready, he managed to do two loads of laundry, craft an elaborate fort in the living room out of pillows and blankets with the kids, made lasagna for dinner, and did some packing for their summer vacation to California. All the while, Julia stayed holed up in the office ignoring her entire family.

Just before he finished making dinner, Harry decided to head upstairs to ask Julia to come down. There was a rule set in place long ago that Harry enforced quite seriously – no matter how busy you were with something you would always step away from it for dinner. Sometimes Julia fought it kicking and screaming, but Harry always made it a point to fight for that one thing to be able to give his children the opportunity to have a proper family gathering at least once from day to day.

Harry stood leaning against the doorway of the office with his arms crossed over his chest loosely, waiting for Julia to finish up the phone call she was on. When she finally clicked off her Bluetooth headset, she still didn’t notice him. But that wasn’t uncommon. She sort of learned how to unhinge herself from the outside world when she was in the office, with its floor to ceiling bookcases that housed hundreds of books and its large mahogany desk she had paperwork stacked all around her current work that was in front of her. She did well crafting her workspace to make it easier for her to work from home.

“Hey,” he said softly, finally making his presence known.

“Oh, Jesus! Harry!” She yelped, jumping slightly as she put her hand to her heart. It would have amused him if he wasn’t already so annoyed with her always shutting herself away.

“I’ve been standing here for five minutes,” he told her dryly, not moving an inch from his spot at the door.

“Well, jeez. You just about gave me a heart attack. I’m under enough stress as it is, having to gather up everything I need and tote is clear across the country,” she scoffed, taking an obvious dig at his plan to go through with their annual summer vacation to California.

He let it roll off of him, like he did with many things having to do with Julia. He learned long ago, if he let the things Julia said and did when she was in one of her moods get to him, it would make him into a very unhappy man.

“Speaking of, how did the interviews go today?” Harry asked, changing the subject.

Julia set up a series of interviews of nannies for the kids for the vacation because of the work she knew she would be doing while they were gone. It was the first year Harry ever allowed it because Julia so adamantly insisted on it. It turned into a very heated argument between the two of them before Harry finally just gave in to Julia’s wishes.

“Well…” She said looking up, giving him a look of distaste, which immediately made him wonder just how terrible their options were going to be. He didn’t really want to spend the summer with a bunch of obnoxious teenaged girls.

“What?” He asked, curious as to what she found wrong with the bunch.

“I hired two,” she told him, pursing her lips together.

“Well, that’s good,” he said, brightening up, happy he wouldn’t get stuck flipping through another stack of applications.

“I had my heart set on having three, but I guess two will suffice,” she said with that same look of distaste on her face.

“Two is plenty,” he told her sternly.

“Mm-hmm,” she hummed, rolling her eyes, as she dug through a stack of papers in front of her.

“Well, dinner is just about done. How about you break free of the ball and chain for a little bit and spend some time with your family,” he suggested.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” she said, shrugging him off as she continued to furiously dig through the papers.

“Yeah,” he breathed, pulling himself away from the door jamb before he made his way back downstairs to serve their meal.

Once dinner was finished, Harry bathed both of his children and tucked them into bed after not one, but two rounds of bedtime stories. To him, being a father was satisfaction enough in life. He had his time. Just after Harry turned sixteen, he auditioned for the X-Factor in the UK and got placed in a band called _One Direction_ with some other lads – Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik. They made a name for themselves around the world, being labeled as the next Beatles and pretty much single-handedly brought back boy-band hysteria. Their song _What Makes You Beautiful_ was their break through single and they continued to produce hit after hit even after Zayn left the band. Harry made his fortune, which gave him the ability to be a full-time dad to his kids once the band went on an indefinite hiatus.

When Jackson was born, he gave up his fast life. He didn’t need to party or go to the clubs or sell-out venue after venue with his band anymore to feel whole. All he needed was to hold his infant son in his arms and feel the best kind of joy he ever felt. He was a father. And a damn good one at that. His kids came first and foremost in his world.

His wife, unfortunately, had a different set of priorities.

Surprisingly enough, when Harry ambled into the bedroom that night, Julia was already in there, dressing in her silk pajamas. The sight of her nearly bare body, sent his entire system into overdrive. It had been too long since she actually came to bed at a decent hour. Harry stood there thinking to himself if he played it just right, sex might be in the cards for him. At least he hoped.

“Hey, you,” he cooed in a seductive tone as he crossed the room, keeping his eyes solely on her.

“Hi,” she said evenly, sliding her nighty down her lean body.

Harry couldn’t help but admire how incredibly sexy his wife’s body actually was. It was one of the things he first noticed about her when they met. She was absolutely gorgeous nearly a decade ago and she definitely still had it. In fact, in his opinion, she really only got better with age.

A shiver of excitement raced through his body as he watched her crawl up onto the mattress, throwing her legs under the covers of her side of their massive king bed. He wasted no time crossing the room to his closet to remove his own clothes, stepping into a pair of navy blue pajama pants before heading out to coax a little love making out of his wife.

Harry crawled up into the bed right next to Julia, not leaving much of a gap between the two of them as she took out her contacts and put on her black framed glasses. He slid his hand under the covers and ran it up and down her thigh a few times before she turned her head to look at him with no emotion on her face whatsoever, causing his stomach to drop immediately. He knew what that look meant. And it meant a brick fucking wall in the love-making department. But he decided to keep at it, just in case there was a sliver of a possibility he read her all wrong.

“You look amazing, love,” he told her as he lightly kissed her shoulder blade.

“Harry,” she sighed, slumping her back against the headboard.

“Just… _shh,_ ” he breathed against her skin as he let his hand fall down to her inner thigh.

“Baby…” She said, her voice coming out as more of an impatient whine.

Harry continued kissing up her neck until their lips met, determined to get her as into it as he was. And she even kissed him back too, which literally was enough to get him there. But when her hands came crashing against his chest to push him away, his entire libido crashed and burned.

“Not tonight, honey. It’s been a long day,” she told him curtly.

With his wife’s dismissal, Harry was certain his scoff could have been heard all the way down the hallway of their large, over-priced home. Her jaw dropped almost immediately as she narrowed her eyes looking over at her husband.

“I have been with the kids all damn day, while you were just out on the town with Louis. And work is just so stressful right now, Harry. You know that. I just… I’m exhausted,” she said, making up excuses while he looked at her with the most annoyed face he could possibly muster.

“You were _hardly_ with the kids all day, Julia. I was with them when they woke up, I was with them this afternoon and the entire evening. Just because I want to spend a little time with Louis when he’s in town and count on you to take care of _our_ kids when I do, doesn’t give you the right to use that god damn condescending tone with me,” Harry spat at her as he sat up, feeling the all too familiar feeling of annoyance beginning to fester inside of himself.

“Condescending tone?” She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“It’s always the same damn excuses with you. I am so sick of hearing them, Julia!” He told her as his voice rose even further with his anger level.

“I’m not making excuses!” She shot back at him.

“Ha!” He laughed sardonically.

“You know what, Harry. I don’t have time for this. I need to wake up early for a conference call,” she said, huffing as she threw herself down on the bed with her back turned to him.

“Your priorities are _fucked_ , lady,” he scoffed as he pushed the covers off of himself before stalking toward the bathroom and slamming the door behind him.

For the rest of the week, the tension didn’t ease at all in Harry and Julia’s relationship. If anything, it only got worse with the added responsibility of getting ready for the trip. Harry was just completely ready to leave the east coast and be back in the confines of California already. It was his very favorite place on earth, having lived there for nearly a decade prior to his marriage. It took a lot for Harry to leave the clutches of the City of Angels. But Julia got her dream job in New York and Harry made the compromise and sacrifice for her, which was a big hand in convincing her into conceiving Jackson.

Their summer vacations were another thing that was practically hell to convince Julia to do. And Harry seemed to pay dearly for it year after year, whether it be her snippy little comments about having to pack up her work and bring it cross-country, or the fact that she was the master of withholding sex of any kind. Harry lived through it all.

But as soon as he stepped foot onto Californian soil and his lungs breathed in the smoggy air he accustomed himself to a long time ago, his entire being began to relax. He’d been looking forward to the trip all year long. The house they rented out was about ten times bigger than what they needed, but that was all Julia. She grew up wealthy, so everything she did was in extravagance.

The first nanny, Mary, arrived the same morning the Styles’ did. She immediately jumped into helping the children unpack their belonging into their summer bedrooms. And even Harry had to admit, the thought of having a little extra help around for the summer wouldn’t be so bad.

Mary was exactly the type of girl Harry pictured his wife hiring for the summer. She was soft-spoken and reserved, and by the knee length skirt, cardigan sweater, and tiny cross pendant she wore around her neck, Harry was almost certain that Jesus was the only man in that girl’s life.

By early afternoon, Harry decided to take his first run down the Malibu coastline that their rental home sat adjacent to. Running was something he found always centered him. When he was having a bad day, taking a run always helped to cleanse him from all the chaos in his life. He wanted a fresh start in California. He wanted to put all of the fights he and Julia were having behind him. He wanted freedom from all of the things that were weighing him down back in New Jersey.

So he took off down the beach with his iPod serenading him, hoping for a little bit of peace.

…

Niko couldn’t even describe the feelings that were coursing through her as she prepared for the once in a lifetime trip. She just turned twenty-two and was enrolled in college at NYU. Money wasn’t tight, her family was pretty well off, but having the job was definitely an incredible opportunity for her. The mother of the family was a freaking CEO for some hoity-toity investment firm in New York. It wasn’t exactly the kind of work she saw herself getting into, but maybe it could get her foot in the door to something she did care for. It was all about connections, right? And besides, how many people got the chance to spend their entire summer in paradise with minimal responsibilities? 

Excitement coursed through her as she took her first step outside of the LAX airport, her lungs pulling the salty air deep into her system, appreciating every single second of it. Niko was certain her summer was going to be amazing. She just knew it.

She took one last monumental breath, relishing in her freedom, before she turned to find the transportation Mrs. Styles promised would be waiting for her. As she took a look around at all the long awaited reunions and passengers arriving and departing, she managed to spot a hefty bald man with a sign reading _Nikola Banks_. She sighed happily, appreciating the fact that everything seemed to be going so smoothly for her. She had never been so far away from home, and if she were being honest, she spent a few sleepless nights anxiously worrying about every finite little detail about her trip. Thankfully for her, none of her fears had yet to be realized.

“ _I’m_ Nikola Banks,” she said, smiling politely at the driver.

“Right this way, miss,” he said, smiling back, taking hold of her luggage as he led her to an awaiting black town car that made her feel very important.

The driver even opened the door for her before loading all of her luggage into the trunk. With a smile, Niko slid smoothly into the back, the gray leather seats feeling cool on her bare legs. Excitement moved through her in waves as she looked around the pristinely cared for business car. The air conditioning was blasting throughout the cab, causing Niko to frown. She wanted nothing more than to feel the wind through her hair as they drove up the west coast.

“Could you please turn off the air conditioning?” Niko asked the man politely after he found his place in the driver seat.

“Miss?” He questioned.

“I’ve never been to California before. I’ve never seen the Pacific Ocean. Please,” she urged, a desperate look on her face. She watched as the man nodded once, obliging her wish.

“Thank you,” she said, clapping her hands together in an excited manner, pleased with herself as she pressed the little black button that opened the automatic window.

It was almost an hour long drive to the house, but Niko enjoyed every second of it, playing her California inspired playlist on her iPod. _California here we coooooome…_

As they pulled up into a long driveway, having reached their destination, Niko was blown away by the sheer size of the house she would be spending the entire summer living in. It was _over-the-top_ ridiculously huge for a summer home. Was the family royalty or something?

“Is this it?” Niko asked the driver, mesmerized by the house’s mass.

“Yes, ma’am,” he nodded once, putting the car in park before jumping out of the driver side door to attend to opening hers.

“Holy crap,” Niko gaped at the house as the man took her hand to help her out of the car.

Once she was standing in the driveway, her wondering eyes pasted on the residence in front of her, she still could not believe the enormity of the house. She wasn’t even sure she had ever been in a house of its magnitude. Not even the driver informing her that he would gather her luggage from the car could rip her eyes away from the overwhelming structure. It was only when a dog came running up to her that she was broken out of her revelry. She wasn’t aware the family had any pets. It wasn’t mentioned in her interview. Her face flushed at the idea that she might not be in the right place. Did the driver get the directions wrong?

“Hey there, little buddy. You’re friendly, aren’t you?” Niko greeted the dog, squatting down to its level. He was some sort of a terrier mix, a miniature she immediately assumed. He looked a little older, like he was getting up there in years, but he was still unimaginably cute.

“He likes you,” Niko heard, causing her head to shoot up instantly.

She was left looking into the most penetratingly beautiful green eyes she ever saw. But then again green wasn’t exactly what she would call them. They were more like a gorgeous olive color. She also noticed when the sun hit them just right, they turned into more of a bright jade. It was mesmerizing.

When she realized she was staring, she let her eyes drop down the body of the man, who was probably in his late twenties, maybe early thirties. He had a full head of short wavy brown hair. He had tattoos scattering his arms and his whole body was well-toned which she liked very much. She enjoyed the view mercilessly, checking out his rippling, but not too bulky biceps that stuck out perfectly from his sleeveless shirt. His whole body was glistening with the hint of sweat, leading her to believe he was just working out or running or _something_. She quietly wondered if perhaps the Styles’ had hired a _male_ nanny. Or maybe he was the gardener, or the pool boy.

One summer fantasy after another flooded her head, and Niko knew the man standing in front of her fit them all perfectly.

As he gazed at the girl that seemingly just arrived on his doorstep, Harry couldn’t help but be stricken by her beauty. She was _breathtaking_ , _intoxicating_ , _mouthwatering_ … He was entirely sure his mind could go on and on about what she was, but he knew it would be mildly inappropriate.

She had blonde flowing hair hanging just past her shoulders, sparkling blue- _blue_ eyes, and a body he could lose himself in. He shook his head at the thought, realizing she must be in the wrong place and that it wasn’t fair of him to prey on her like that – even if it was just in his mind. Harry looked over to see the driver of the town car she came in unloading her luggage onto the driveway, and wondered if perhaps Julia temporarily went blind when she hired a girl like her. She was temptation at its finest, like the apple in the Garden of Eden. Not that he was much into infidelity or whatnot, but he definitely wasn’t opposed to looking – that was for sure.

“Zeus,” Harry said with a smile, giving a small nod toward the dog at the girl’s feet as she stood staring back at him.

“What?” Niko asked in a daze, prying her eyes from his body, focusing back up into his gorgeous olive eyes.

“The dog – his name is Zeus. He’s getting pretty old – I’ve had him for about eight years, but he’s a good dog,” Harry explained, smiling pleasantly at her. Niko nodded amusingly back at him, a small smirk dancing across her lips. She loved his British accent immensely.

“You must be… Niko? Am I saying that right?” Harry asked, taking a stab at the pronunciation, holding out his hand to shake hers. Her soft, petite hand slid smoothly into his as their eyes met once again, and Harry swore he saw something come to life in hers. Intrigue, perhaps?

“Yes, Niko Banks,” she replied, smiling slyly, adding, “and you?”

Niko watched as the man’s tongue darted quickly across his lips, wetting them in the process. She could not help but find it undeniably sexy. But then again, by definition that man was _sex on legs._

“Oh, ha. Harry Styles. I’m Julia’s husband,” he introduced himself, finding it slightly amusing that it may have been the first time he ever had to introduce himself as Julia’s husband.

Most people still knew who he was. But it seemed pretty obvious that Niko might be just a little too young to know who he was in his former life. It was nearly a decade since he and his band mates were out conquering the hearts of millions of fangirls.

“Nice to meet you, Harry Styles,” Niko said, smiling brightly at him and he loved the sound of his name rolling off of her tongue.

The flirtatious looks she was sending were almost doing him and his deprived, raging libido in. He had to look away, to shake the girl out of his line of vision to even continue with the conversation.

“The other nanny is here already. Mary, I think. Have you met her?” Harry asked, trying to think of something other than the poor unsuspecting girl standing in front of him in the way he was already thinking about her.

“Nope,” Niko said, popping the ‘p’ against her lips.

“She’s… different,” Harry smirked at her, thinking about the awkward meeting he had with the first nanny. Niko gave him a curious look which made him chuckle a bit, causing him to shake his head.

“Never mind. Go on inside. Julia is waiting for you. I’ll take care of your luggage,” Harry laughed out loud, pointing back toward the house.

“Alright,” Niko smirked amusingly at the very attractive, very adorable house husband of one Julia Styles.

Her mind couldn’t help but cut to her roommate Kelsey’s words: _hopefully he’s hot so you’ll have something to look at this summer._ Oh, he was most definitely hot – ridiculously hot, in fact. And their playful banter and sexual tension was not lost on Niko as she made her way to the front door of the large estate.

Just before she found her way into the house, she turned to catch a very sly Mr. Styles checking out her _assets_. A sneaking smile pulled up Niko’s lips as Harry looked back at her bashfully, knowing he was just caught. With one last look and a flip of her hair, Niko disappeared through the front door, leaving Harry standing stunned out in the driveway with her luggage.

It was going to be a _very_ interesting summer.


	2. {two}

“Ah, Nikola… I’m glad you could make it,” Julia Styles said, waving her into the expansive living room of the summer home.

As Niko scanned her surrounding, she saw both kids sitting on the couch fidgeting to themselves, looking as though they were wishing to be anywhere else doing just about anything else. She also saw a quite frumpy looking girl sitting posture-perfect in an arm chair next to the couch. She must have been the second nanny Mr. Styles was referring to, Niko was almost sure of it.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll get back to you…” Julia spoke, confusing Niko slightly until she noticed the Bluetooth device that was poised in her ear.

“Just let me call you back. Yeah. I’ll call you back in ten,” Julia said, clicking off her ear phone device.

“So, where were we?” Julia asked, smiling politely, finally focusing on everyone in the room rather than on her cell phone.

“Please…” Julia said as she scooted Niko toward an available arm chair. Niko felt slightly awkward, but took the seat anyway.

“Kids, do you remember Nikola?” Julia asked them with an exaggerated smile on her face.

“Hi,” they both beamed back at Niko with smiling faces.

“Hi, Jackson. Hi, Avery. I’m super excited to be hanging out this summer. Are you guys ready to have fun?” Niko asked, smiling back at them, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible.

“YEAH!” They both shouted excitedly.

In all actuality, Niko was just as excited. The moment she met the children, she instantly loved them. And she was certain the summer was going to be a blast getting to hang out with them every day.

“Nikola, this is Mary, the second au pair I hired. You will both be sharing duties over the summer. _Thank God_. It would have been impossibly hard to only have one of you. Oh, I can’t even imagine. It would have been such a headache. I was actually contemplating three. But that’s another story,” Julia talked a mile a minute, seemingly to herself, and it made Niko wonder if she were always that self-centered.

Julia Styles was definitely something else. To Niko, she looked like she needed a stiff drink… or something else that was stiff. She silently wondered if Mr. Styles – or _Harry,_ as he told her to call him – was giving it to her regularly. By the way she stood like she had a stick up her ass, and that uptight attitude of hers, Julia definitely seemed like a woman who could use a good go-around between sheets. And after really thinking about it, Niko’s eyebrows contorted slightly as she wondered why the hell Julia would ever turn down a man like Harry Styles. He had a body that was made for sex. And Niko would bet money that he was _good_.

“Will that work for you, Nikola? _Nikola?_ _”_ Julia asked impatiently.

“Huh?” Niko asked snapping out of her lust-filled fantasies about her new boss’ husband.

“I was just going over the schedule—oh, never mind. I’ll type it up and have it to you both by tomorrow,” Julia said, waving it off, just as her eyes snapped up toward the doorway.

“Oh, Harry, honey,” Julia said, waving her husband into the room.

Harry also had to be snapped out of his own, not-so admirable thoughts – thoughts of the beautiful new arrival to the estate. After he had the pleasure of meeting their new house guest, Harry took Niko’s belongings to the room Julia already assigned to her, and he wasn’t able to get the little blonde pixie out of his mind – not even for a second. She was absolutely alluring.

Harry’s vision fell away from Niko and landed on his wife who stood in the middle of the room wearing full business attire with her dark hair tied back tightly in a bun, despite the fact that she was on vacation. It really was a mark of her character, of who she was and how she was raised. She was a professional even when she didn’t need to be.

“Daddy!” Avery beamed at Harry as he walked toward her mother.

“Hello, love,” he said, smiling fondly down at one half of his pride and joy, and then at the other half sitting next to her – her brother.

“Harry, have you had a chance to meet Nikola?” Julia asked, grasping his arm lightly, holding out her other hand to present him to the young woman he just embarrassingly gawked at in the driveway.

It wasn’t lost on Harry when Julia’s hand fell away from his arm almost immediately, as if touching him was frowned upon.

“Yes. I had the pleasure of meeting her in the driveway,” _h_ e informed his wife with a pleasant smile, before sending a smirk to Niko.

Niko couldn’t help but smile back at Mr. Styles. Especially because the smile he sent her seemed like an inside joke just between the two of them – like they shared a secret no one else in the room knew about. And perhaps they did share a secret. Perhaps the little sneaking glances at one another in the driveway were enough for them to be inducted into some super-secret exclusive club for two. Niko was certain the fact that Mr. Styles had so blatantly checked out her ass as she walked into the house was the cementing factor in their wordless pact with one another. And it made her feel good.

“Good, good. Honey, could you show the girls to their rooms? I have to call the office back,” Julia said to her husband, not even waiting for an answer before dialing her phone.

“It would be my _pleasure_ ,” he said, rolling his eyes at his uppity wife.

“Kids, why don’t you go up to your rooms for now?” Julia said, immediately shooing her children away.

“I’ll see you guy’s later, okay?” Niko said to the kids as they ambled off the couch before running out the door, their giggles answering her question for them.

“Come on, ladies. I will show you to your quarters,” Harry said, smiling particularly at Niko, completely giving into the fact that he took a firm interest in her. A fact that would sure as hell get him into loads of trouble if the wife ever caught on.

Niko walked next to Mr. Styles as they went through the house, Mary trailing somewhere behind them. She was in absolute awe at the architecture of the whole entire house – straight down to the crown molding and antique-looking wall paper.

“This house is incredible,” Niko said, looking around, her eyes wide and bright.

“It’s something else,” Harry said, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

The house wasn’t the only thing Niko found incredible. Harry’s scent was intoxicating. It was a mix between his cologne and the natural musk of his body – his hot, _sexy_ body. She almost couldn’t believe herself – fawning over a married man and all. But she just couldn’t help it.

The summer house was so big that the _help_ had its very own wing in the house. And lucky for the two au pairs to each have their own living quarters. Niko’s room was rather spacious with a nice full sized bed, a decent closet, and even a desk and a sitting area. The white walls were slightly drab with nothing hung on them, but Niko was certain she would make the room feel like home in no time.

Mary had the room across the hallway which mirrored Niko’s in every way. They were to share a bathroom, which was sort of a drag, but they had their own entrance outdoors that they could come and go from as they pleased.

“So, girls…” Mr. Styles said, and almost immediately Mary flanked to his side. It wasn’t her being interested in him, no – not like Niko certainly was. It was more her being obedient – being the good little au pair.

Mary intrigued Niko. She was definitely different. You could tell just by meeting her once that she was religious, reserved, and very soft spoken. Her fashion style, which was conservative, made it seem like she grew up in a strict Catholic home. She looked like she had never been out in the sun and almost looked like she belonged in a convent. A real _Virgin Mary_. Niko almost snickered to herself thinking about how she herself was more along the lines of _Mary Magdalene_ in comparison.

“We’re really excited to have you here. And if you need anything, please, don’t hesitate to ask,” Mr. Styles continued on with a light smile on his face.

“Thank you, sir,” Mary replied, nodding lightly.

“Please, call me Harry,” he corrected her.

“Harry,” Niko said quietly to herself before she even realized she said it. Harry looked up at her almost immediately with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk on his face.

“So, where are you from? New York? New Jersey?” Harry continued on, asking both of the girls.

“I grew up in Pennsylvania, sir. Though my family live in New York now. But I study in New Hampshire,” Mary answered quickly.

“Like, University?” Harry asked her.

“Yes, sir,” she said with a nod.

“That’s great. Niko?” Harry asked, catching Niko completely off guard.

“Oh, um. I’m from New York,” she answered with a small smile.

“Do you go to school?” He asked.

“Yep. NYU,” Niko told him, biting at her lip.

“NYU, wow. Good for you. What are you studying?” He asked, seemingly taking more of an interest in one and not the other.

“Marketing. Business Marketing,” Niko told him.

“Ambitious,” he said, seeming impressed, and Niko couldn’t help but feel flush with pride because of it.

“How old are you— _ahem_ —both of you?” Harry asked, realizing he was playing favorites.

“Twenty-two, sir,” Mary said quietly.

“Same,” Niko told him, biting her lip lightly. Harry couldn’t help but find it entirely sexy.

“You’re both twenty-two, huh? Getting close to graduating?” He asked curiously, trying to shy his mind away from the dirty thoughts he kept having of the girl standing in front of him who was much, much too young to be thinking about in that way.

“I am working on my Bachelor’s degree, striving toward my Master’s,” Niko said proudly.

“Well, good for you. Seriously. That’s definitely impressive,” Harry nodded.

“And how old are you?” Niko asked boldly, causing Harry to let out a light chuckle, bashfully looking toward the ground.

“Much older,” he said as he looked up and smirked back at her.

“How much older?” She cocked her eyebrow.

“Try a decade—and then some,” he chuckled.

“Thirty-three?” Niko asked.

“Thirty-three this coming year. I’m an old man,” he joked.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Niko said, her voice coming out with an air of seduction.

Harry could tell right away she was flirting. It was apparent. He could spot that eyebrow twitch a mile away. And no matter how many times he found himself looking at her, he would have been willing to bet she was looking back at him just as much. And something like that did not go unnoticed by his ravenous libido.

“Oh, yeah? What would you say then?” Harry flirted back, egging her on.

“Mature. Cultured. _Developed_ ,” she said, emphasizing the last word in the sexiest way possible, and Harry was entirely floored over it. He was certain a summer with her around was going to absolutely wreck him.

“Why thank you, Niko,” Harry said, giving her a pleased smile before his eyes wandered up her entire body – from her killer legs to her flat stomach to her amazing breast and then up to her beautiful face.

Niko cocked her eyebrow at Harry again, letting him know without words that she just caught him checking her out – _again_. But Harry wasn’t worried about any repercussions. He knew their mutual flirting was as fun for her as it was for him.

“Niko – what kind of name is that?” Harry asked curiously, changing the subject.

“It’s actually Nikola. Niko is just a nickname, I guess. It’s Greek, meaning ‘victory of the people’. In its actual origin it’s a boy’s name, but my mom loved it so much that she didn’t care,” she explained. 

It was something Niko had to do often with a name like hers. Her explanation was well-rehearsed, because she explained it to so many people in her twenty-two years.  

“Fascinating,” Harry told her sincerely.

“Yeah, _super_ exciting,” she said facetiously, causing Harry to chuckle.

The two of them were broken out of their one-on-one bonding time when they heard Mary lightly clear her throat. They were both quite startled, having forgotten she was even standing there.

“Well…” Harry said, clearing his throat as he took a step back from Niko, looking over at Mary sheepishly.

“I’ll uh… I’ll let you two get settled. And I’ll uh, see you for dinner,” Harry said just before he stepped around Mary and made his way down the hallway back toward the common areas of the house.

Harry felt slightly ashamed that Mary was witness to their blatant flirting. He could already picture her saying a prayer for her perverted boss, who was _this_ close to some sort of emotional adultery, and the flirtatious young nanny who provoked him. _Good God_.

Once Mr. Styles made his exit, Niko almost immediately began unpacking her suitcase, but stopped abruptly when she saw Mary was still standing in her doorway.

“Uh, hi,” Niko stammered, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the girl staring at her.

“I look forward to working with you, Nikola,” Mary said politely.

“Yeah, you too,” Niko said, eyeing her. Mary nodded once before she spun on her heels, heading off to her own room.

“Weird,” Niko said under her breath, trying to shake off the awkward encounter as she began sifting through her belongings. 

Niko happily unpacked as visions of Mr. Styles and his _well_ - _developed_ body invaded her mind. He was eye-candy, indeed. She smiled as she thought of how excited her roommate Kelsey was going to be when she heard the new.

As Niko went through her toiletries, ready to bring them to the bathroom, she came across her little pink vibrator – _definitely a girl’s best friend_. She was now thankful she made the conscious decision to bring it along, because she was certain she was going to need it if Mr. Styles kept looking at her like that – and kept looking like that.

…

During dinner, Mary made the mistake of asking Julia something about what she did for a living – thus throwing Julia into a long-winded conversation about the business deal she was working on. Harry’s brain seemed to shutdown whenever Julia began talking about her job. It was all the same, all so mundane.

“Jules, can we not talk about work right now, please. We have our new guests here,” Harry finally said to shut his wife up.

“Oh, right. Yes. So girls, tell us a little more about yourselves,” Julia said, looking between both of them. When neither of them spoke up right away, Julia picked one of them on a whim.

“Mary?” Julia asked with an expectant look on her face.

“I-I attend college at Saint Mary Magdalene in New Hampshire,” Mary began to explain. It made Niko snicker slightly to herself. _Seriously, Saint Mary Magdalene College?_

Mary went onto tell the family who she was, what she did, how she spent her time. But Harry wasn’t listening. As she began talking about where she went to school, he began to tune her out, because out of the corner of his eye he was watching Niko, who seemed to be trying her hardest to pay attention to the very uninteresting girl that was sitting across from her.

“And you, Nikola?” Harry asked, once he was sure Mary finished her life story. 

Niko’s eyes shot up to his, and he immediately registered some kind of playfulness in them. She was amused that he was the one to speak up, and she was amused that he sat there with a smirk on his face as she began speaking. 

“Well… I am twenty-two years old…” She started.

“Oh, she’s just a baby, Harry. Ten years younger than us,” Julia’s voice rang through the dining room, tearing Harry’s eyes away from Niko.

“Yeah, a _baby,_ ” he said awkwardly, giving his wife a small smile before focusing back on Niko.

“I’m working toward my Bachelor’s degree in Business, with an emphasis in Marketing. Uh, I have two older sisters. Jacey is twenty-eight and Hayley is twenty-six,” Niko continued after Julia interrupted.

“Hey, maybe her sisters remember your band, honey,” Julia interrupted her once again.

“Your band?” Niko questioned, smirking wildly at Harry. 

Harry wasn’t going to go around bragging about his band or anything, but if she was willing to listen, it gave him free reign to do a little peacocking.

“Oh, yeah. He and his friend Louis were in a group that were pretty much _it_ back in the day,” Julia said, smiling amusingly. Harry eyed his wife through his eyelashes, fully annoyed by her.

Julia loved teasing Harry about being in a boy-band, and it bothered him since it was _his_ career that bought them their million dollar home in New Jersey, and that still managed to bring in income even though he’d been out of the spotlight for nearly seven years.

“You act like it was decades ago. It’s been less than ten years,” he said, trying as best he could to keep the annoyance out of his tone, but he was sure he it was unsuccessful.

“Tell me about it,” Niko said to Harry, her voice coming out soft and airy, ignoring Julia altogether. _Harry’s entire body began to tingle as her earnest eyes watched him contently._

“It was just this thing I did with some of the lads,” Harry said, feeling bashful for the first time in a long time.

“They were world renowned. They won a singing competition. You actually might still hear about them. Louis is still out there making music,” Julia went on to explain.

Harry’s annoyance came back with a vengeance toward his wife as she once again stole Niko’s attention and in turn, stole his right to be the one to explain about his _own_ life.

“Oh, really?” Niko cooed, turning her eyes back to him.

“One Direction. They were One Direction,” Julia blurted out, causing Harry to scoff lightly. Apparently Julia really wasn’t going to let him tell his own life story.

“No way!” Niko yelped, looking at him wide-eyed.

“You know of us?” He questioned, smirking widely at her, feeling completely elated that someone as young as she was remembered them.

“Oh my god. My sister Jacey was obsessed with you guys. Hayley liked you guys too, but not like Jacey. She was _totally_ going to marry Louis,” she laughed.

“Louis, huh?” Harry chuckled, giving her a cock of his eyebrow.

“Totally,” Niko laughed.

“Last I heard, Louis’s wife’s name isn’t Jacey,” Harry told her with a smirk on his face.

“Sucks for Jacey then,” she said with a shrug and a laugh.

It amused Harry, probably more than it should have that she actually knew of his band. He was enjoying her company as they sat around the table eating dinner with the family. It had been a long time since he had a nice conversation with a woman. Julia left a lot to be desired, unfortunately.

“You never listened to us?” He asked Niko curiously.

“In passing. I was like, seven or eight. And I was more into sports than _dreamy_ boys,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him dramatically. Harry laughed out loud, feeling young again.

 _“_ _That’s what makes you beautiful...”_ She sang softly, revealing that she knew the lyrics and melody of One Direction’s first and biggest hit to date.

“Are you sure you weren’t a fan?” He asked, cocking his eyebrow inquisitively at her.

“Sorry. I was out on the baseball diamond with all the neighborhood boys,” she said with a passive shrug, bouncing her eyebrows at him playfully.

“Daddy, I like your music,” Harry heard Avery’s tiny little voice and it snapped him out of his one-track mind, making him feel guilty that he just completely monopolized the conversation – among other things.

“I do too, dad,” Jackson piped in too.

“Thanks, loves. You’re the best,” Harry beamed at his children. No matter what, he knew his kids were his biggest fans.

…

After dinner, Harry and Julia gave the new nanny’s a crash course in bathing and bedtime with the kids. It was entirely chaotic and hectic, especially when Avery had a meltdown over her missing stuffed dog that no one could find for what seemed like forever. It was definitely a trying night and Harry breathed a sigh of relief once he and Julia were finally in their bedroom alone.

“Ugh. Sometimes these children make me so glad I got my tubes tied,” Julia grumbled as she started to remove her jewelry from the day.

Harry’s whole entire body froze with his wife’s words before his blood started boiling rapidly. First of all, it was a low blow to both him and the kids. And second of all— _what the fuck?_

“You what?” He choked out.

“Hmm?” She hummed, looking over at him like her words didn’t hold some sort of fucked up meaning.

“You got your tubes tied?” He asked carefully, narrowing his eyes at her, feeling as though he was about to come unhinged.

“Oh—” She said, realizing she just made a colossal mistake letting that one slip.

“What in the _fuck_ , Julia?” Harry growled.

“Harry—be serious,” she scoffed.

“Be _serious?_ What the fuck does that mean?” He shot at her as his anger encompassed him.

“After Avery, I—” She started before he cut her off.

“ _After Avery!?_ You got your tubes tied _five_ years ago and didn’t think to tell me!? I’m your god damn husband!” He yelled, feeling the animosity and irritation boil over and seep all around his body.

“I told you _one_ child, Harry! And then… and then I got pregnant _again_. I just… I…” She stammered. Harry’s head felt like it might explode as he stood there listening to his wife’s excuses, which only made her sound like the most selfish god damn person on the planet.

“We _agreed_ on one child, but Avery—god, I can’t believe the way you— _ohmygod_ ,” he growled, unable to complete a full thought, let alone a sentence.

“What are you so mad about?” She scoffed with a snide attitude that only worked to piss Harry off further.

“If you don’t know what I am so _mad_ about, then you don’t know me at all, Julia!” He yelled at her, his chest nearly heaving with anger. 

There was a long, weighted silence between them, where Julia just stood against the dresser, biting at her lip and Harry just tried to control his breathing and temper.

“I got it at the same time I had the C-section with Avery. You were so wrapped up in the baby…” She said quietly.

“You are so _god damn_ disrespectful,” Harry said through a clenched jaw as he shook his head lightly, feeling so much anger toward the woman he vowed to spend the rest of his life with. He was so angry, he felt like he couldn’t even be in the same room as her.

“I didn’t think you’d ever find out. I just… I didn’t mean for you to find out. It just slipped out,” she said, looking rather flustered.

“You still don’t fucking get it, Julia,” he shot at her, his fiery eyes burning into her.

“What!? What don’t I get? What don’t _you_ get!? I don’t want any more kids!” She screamed at him, letting her own irritation out.

“I am your god damn husband, Julia! You aren’t supposed to keep things that are that life changing from me! What the fuck trust do we have left if we’re keeping secrets this fucking monstrous from each other!?” He screamed at her. He didn’t usually make it a habit to scream at the mother of his children, or any women for that matter, with that much anger and expletives, but Julia really did a number on him.

She stood silently staring at the floor, keeping her lips pursed tightly together.

“ _Fuck_ , Julia!” He growled, throwing his hands up.

With her complete indifference and disregard for his feelings, something inside of him snapped. And it broke Harry’s heart to realize it was last little thread that held their teetering, fragile relationship together. He knew he would never be able to look passed what she did. It was just too much.

Without another word, Harry stalked out of the bedroom – down the hallway, down the stairs. He ended up in the kitchen, grabbing the bottle of vodka he picked up once they got to California. He planned on drinking it casually – make a vodka tonic here and there. But it was definitely a night where he needed a friend and it was going to be that bottle of vodka.

The remainder of Harry’s night consisted of watching a lot of _Netflix_ in the pool house by himself, drinking nearly the entire bottle of vodka while drowning in the sorrowful mess that was his life.

And he was greeted with a lovely hangover in the morning.


	3. {three}

Harry woke up instantly regretting the decision to get obliterated off of a bottle of vodka. He literally felt an ache in every single muscle in his body, along with agonizing sharp pains in his stomach. He could tell he wasn’t as young as he used to be. Back in his early twenties he could drink all night, wake up and do it all over again the next day. Not so much anymore, as he was slowly learning.

As he pulled himself out of the bed in the pool house, he felt dizzy and he was almost certain he was going to throw up. When his mouth began salivating, he knew for sure. He drug himself to the bathroom, where he immediately fell on his knees in front of the toilet. After his stomach was emptied, he spent the next five minutes dry heaving into the toilet bowl. After he was completely drained and the convulsions stopped, he pulled off all of his clothes and stepped under the cold spray of the shower. He felt like a fucking idiot. He just wanted to crawl under a rock. His kids were probably awake, being fed breakfast and he was hunched against the shower wall in the pool house trying to pull himself together. And to top it all off, his wife was a cunt, who was determined to ruin his life. 

After getting out of the shower, Harry dressed in the same clothes and slowly made his way back into the main house, being sure to avoid all human life on the way upstairs. 

When he walked into his and Julia’s bedroom, Julia was just walking out of the bathroom toweling her damp hair. She was completely naked, but Harry was determined to keep his eyes off of her. He didn’t need to torture himself by getting a hard-on whose only chance of being fucked was by being fucked over. 

“Where were you all night?” She asked him immediately.

“Out,” he grumbled, grabbing his cell phone off his night stand, checking to see if he missed any calls.

“What do you mean, ‘out’?” She snapped.

“I was in the fucking pool house, Julia,” he snapped back.

“You look like shit,” she replied, staring at him.

“Thanks a lot. As if you haven’t crushed my spirits enough in the past twelve hours,” he shot at her, completely avoiding looking in her direction. Julia sighed.

“Harry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings—” She started.

“I really don’t want to hear it right now, Julia,” he said, disregarding her altogether.

“I think we need to talk about this, Harry,” she insisted.

“Well, I don’t want to,” he said, finally looking in her direction. She had her towel wrapped around her body and her wet hair dangling on her shoulders.

“But—” She started to protest.

“You know what? In fact, I think I am going to go visit Louis for a few days,” he told her.

“You’re just going to leave?” She spat at him.

“Yes. Because I can’t even stand to look at you right now,” he said, walking into the closet to change into his running clothes.

“Why would you say something like that?” He heard her from the doorway.

“Because it’s the truth,” he snapped, glancing back at her for a split second before he started peeling away the dirty clothes from his body. 

Once he fully changed and laced up his tennis shoes, he turned around to see Julia still standing in the doorway, silently crying. 

“ _Bloody hell_ ,” Harry grumbled under his breath. 

Julia had this face she made when she cried that was just so unattractive. She was such a beautiful woman, but every time she would cry she turned into this blubbering, hideous thing. 

“I really don’t have time for this,” Harry sighed, wanting more than anything to not be trapped in the closet by the crying beast.

“You are such an asshole,” she yelled at him.

“ _I’m_ an asshole? Let’s talk about the level of bullshit I put up with from you on a daily basis. Let’s talk about how you lied to me for five fucking years about something you should have discussed with me in the first place because it affects both of us! It affects this _whole_ god damn family, Julia. _Who’s_ the fucking asshole, huh?” Harry shot at her. 

His rant only made her cry and blubber even harder, thus annoying him even more.

“I’m going for a run,” he grumbled, moving passed her through the doorway.

“Fuck you,” she shot at him.

“Fuck me? Well, you don’t do that, now do you?” He threw at her meanly before he stalked across the room to the bathroom and slammed the door. 

After Harry calmed himself down from his fight with his wife, he freshened up before he exited out through the main door in the bathroom instead of the one that led to the bedroom. He had no desire to see Julia’s self-loathing tears. 

Harry prepared himself before he stepped into the living room. His kids didn’t need to see the frown on his face. They didn’t need to know of the problems their parents were having. He could hear both Jackson and Avery giggling at the TV as they watched cartoons. Harry walked in with a smile on his face, greeting the two loves of his life before rounding them up to get them fed. The three of them walked into the kitchen together and Harry poured them each a bowl of cereal before heading toward the coffee pot. He still felt like shit from his drunken night and could use a little pick-me-up. 

Harry stood against the counter talking with his kids for a little while. They could make him smile on the worst day. Jackson was going on and on about how excited he was to join the summer soccer league. And Harry was so super excited for him.

Mary came into the kitchen not long after, ready to begin her first day of nannying.

“Good morning, Mary,” Harry said to her.

“Good morning, Mr. Styles,” she replied.

“Please, call me Harry,” he told her for like the twelfth time.

“I’d rather not blur the lines,” Mary told him curtly, causing Harry to stare at her in disbelief.

“ _Ohh_ -kay,” he said under his breath as he turned back toward the coffee pot to refill his mug.

As soon as Niko walked in the kitchen, Harry’s eyes were on her. She was wearing denim shorts, paired with a tank top and zip-up hoodie and Harry couldn’t help but check out her long smooth legs as she entered the room. She gave him a smile before she went toward the coffee pot.

“Mugs?” She asked him.

“Cupboard right in front of you,” Harry informed her. Niko reached up and pulled one out as Harry watched her hoodie ride up, exposing a little of her abdomen as she stretched.

“Thanks,” Niko said as she poured her coffee.

“Cream or sugar?” Harry asked as he watched her.

“I usually take my first cup black because I am usually fiening for caffeine when I wake up. I get fancy once I am energized,” Niko told him, blowing on the steaming hot liquid. He chuckled at her answer. 

The way Niko was eyeing him through the steam off her cup was doing things to him he probably shouldn’t have been feeling. That girl was going to be the death of him. And he secretly hated Julia just a little bit for throwing that kind of temptation at him and then being her usual self. It made him _want_ to act upon his urges. But he knew there would be hell to pay in many senses if he did, so he decided to remove himself from Niko’s presence.

“Well, I’m headed out for a run. You got things handled here, Mary?” Harry asked the _Virgin Mary_.

“Yes, sir,” she nodded, professionally.

Harry saluted her as a joke, but she didn’t laugh. He looked back at Niko with an “oh my god” look on his face, which made her burst out laughing. Harry chuckled to himself as he dumped the rest of his coffee down the sink and rinsed the cup.

“Well, Niko. Enjoy your morning off. I’m sure these two…” Harry said, pointing to his kids, “will give you a run for your money later.”

“We’re going to have a blast, aren’t we kids?” Niko asked them.

“YEAH!” They shouted.

“Awesome,” Harry said, smiling at his kids, and then focused back on Niko.

“I’ll see you around,” he said, squeezing her shoulder before he took off through the doorway of the kitchen. Was her skin supposed to tingle that much? The spot where Harry touched her felt electrified.

Harry gave both his kids a kiss on the head before he darted out the door for his much needed run. He really needed to run off the tension and run off his hangover.

Once Niko’s initial cup of coffee was finished and she got a bagel in her system, she decided to relish in her morning off. First thing on her agenda – call her sister and rub it in that she was nannying for a member of One Direction. Jacey got a kick out of it, wanting regular updates – even though she herself was married with two kids. She asked if he was still hot and Niko told her “hell yeah, probably even hotter”.

Second thing on her agenda – take some _me_ time by the pool. She wanted to get a tan this summer and the only way to do that was to sit in the sun. She decided she would go talk to Julia first before she just sat around all morning. She might want her to be doing something else – something productive. As luck would have it, Julia was knee deep in paperwork with her Bluetooth attached to her ear.

“By all means, enjoy your morning off,” Julia said, waving her off. 

She didn’t have to tell her twice. Niko went back to her room and put on her yellow polka dot bikini and a black cover up before heading out to the pool. It was shaping up to be a hot day already and it was only ten in the morning. 

Harry pushed himself pretty hard on his run. He ended up having to take off his shirt and shove it in the back of his shorts because he was sweating so much. But it was needed. He needed to sweat the toxins out of his body. When he came back into the yard to start his post-stretching, his gaze fell onto the horizon. California was just so beautiful. Just looking around at where he was made him feel so much better. He had a good life, despite his wife trying to ruin it. He let out a content sigh, realizing it was true that exercising released endorphins in the brain that could make you feel better. Because he did.

Seconds later, his vision fell on Niko laying on one of the lounge chairs by the pool, wearing only a teeny tiny bikini. He was wrecked at just the sight of her. _Dear god_. He could not pry his eyes away. You’d think a married man, who was in his thirties, could control himself. Apparently not him. His eyes were glued to her body. They raked up and down it as his brain thought up the most immoral of thoughts – all the dirty little things he wanted to do to her. He couldn’t help it. And he couldn’t stop.

Niko laid out for a little while before she noticed, through her sunglasses, that Mr. Styles was just a little ways across the yard doing stretches. Not only that, but his gaze was focused on her half-naked body. Niko waved at him and his line of vision quickly went up to her face. He waved back looking stunned, embarrassed that he was looking – _gawking_ really.

Niko stood up from the lounge chair and put her cover up over herself, but didn’t fasten it. She placed her flip flops on her feet and walked over to Harry who was now bending forward in a stretch. When he came back up she startled him. 

“OH! Niko. Hi,” he chuckled awkwardly.

“Hello, Mr. Styles,” she cooed, smiling at him. He was sweaty and _perfect_ after working out.

“Please, call me Harry. I am way too young to be known as Mr. Styles,” he explained.

“Harry…” Niko breathed.

“So, you’re taking advantage of your morning off, I see,” he said, nodding toward the pool.

“Yes, sir,” Niko said with a bright smile.

“So, the weather’s nice,” he said awkwardly. _Oh, really._ He wanted to talk about the weather?

“Mm-hmm,” Niko hummed. She noticed Harry’s line of vision fall to her breasts before he caught himself and looked back into her eyes.

“Is that all you do? Work out?” She asked, smiling at him.

“I’ve got to stay toned,” he chuckled, sliding his palm across his abdomen subconsciously.

“I’ve noticed,” Niko flirted and he chuckled once again.

“You won’t be seeing me much the next couple of days. I’ll be headed out to Los Angeles to catch up with my best mate, Louis,” Harry informed her.

“Well, you’ll have to tell him Jacey says ‘hi’,” Niko joked.

“Ha! Yes. I will tell him he missed out on his one true love,” Harry laughed.

“That he did,” Niko laughed. Harry was smiling widely at her.

He enjoyed her sense of humor. It sort of mirrored his in a way. They were quite similar. And Harry missed that in a companion.

“Well, Mr. Styles – uh, _Harry_. I should go in and change now. You see, I’ve got this job I’m supposed to be doing this summer. It’s a really sweet gig,” Niko said playfully.

“Sweet gig, huh?” He asked with a sideways smile.

“Oh, yeah. I get to live in this amazing house in Malibu and the _view_ … the view is nice,” Niko said, checking him out in an obvious manner. And she could have sworn she saw his cheeks flush pink because he most definitely caught the innuendo.

“Yeah, it’s an _excellent_ view,” he said, looking her over in the same obvious manner. Niko smirked before turning on her heels and making her way into the house.

 


	4. {four}

“So what’s up, mate?” Louis finally asked when they were sitting down to dinner once Harry reached LA. Louis’ wife Liz let them go out to catch up, but insisted that the next night, they would be having a family dinner – a good old home cooked meal.

“Why does something have to be up?” Harry asked defiantly. He didn’t know why he was being so difficult. Just the thought of Julia put him in a shit mood and she was definitely what Louis was referring to when he asked what was up. He _knew_.

“I can tell by the way you’re acting that something is up,” Louis said, looking at him knowingly. Harry forgot that Louis was the most observant person on the fucking planet. He forgot he knew him better than almost anyone. 

Harry sighed, preparing himself. He went on to tell him all about his fight with Julia, her surgery he had no knowledge of, and the fact that things were worse off than ever before. 

“And to top it all off, she hired a smoking hot nanny. I can’t keep my eyes off of her. She’s just… she’s amazing,” Harry told him.

“Wait, what?” Louis asked confused.

“Niko. She’s amazing,” Harry said, looking up into his mate’s disapproving eyes.

“ _Harry_ ,” Louis said in a warning tone.

“I can’t help it, okay. I can’t. She’s gorgeous and I can’t stop thinking about her,” Harry sighed, giving up holding back what was on his mind.

“Harry, what _are_ you thinking?” Louis asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t fucking know. I just know that Julia is like, a cold hard bitch and I can’t get anything from her. We’ve hit a brick wall. And I’m stuck,” he grumbled. 

Louis’s eyes only got wider, the more Harry revealed. 

“And Niko, we’re like, I don’t know. We get along. We have the same personalities and she fucks the _shit_ out of me with her eyes every time she looks at me,” Harry said, his words coming out like verbal diarrhea.

“Harry!” Louis scolded.

“What?” Harry said, stopping to look up at him again.

“Do you even realize what is coming out of your mouth?” Louis asked, his mouth slack-jawed with disbelief.

“What?” He questioned.

“You’re contemplating things you shouldn’t be contemplating,” Louis said in a hushed tone.

“What options do I have left?” Harry asked.

“Working things out with Julia,” Louis insisted.

“I just… I guess,” Harry sighed, realizing how messed up it all was. 

Julia was his wife – the woman he pledged his life to, for better or worse. And he was sure they were in the _worse_ _portion on their marriage_. She was his wife and he did love and care for her, no matter her flaws. 

But there was so much temptation with Niko – so much possibility. And Harry didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to last with the lack of intimacy from his wife. He was starting to deteriorate from his sexual drought.

After slightly snapping on Louis about his judgmental tone, Louis eased up and let Harry get things off his chest. He began to side with him for the most part, but insisted Harry needed to choose a side – that he couldn’t have both. He either needed to work things out with Julia or he needed to end it before he started straying from his marriage. Harry knew Louis had a point, but life wasn’t always that easy.

After having a very sexual, very wet dream about Niko that night, Harry was certain his urges were about to blow up in his face. He was doomed to break.

The next couple of days while staying with Louis, Harry debated the topic in his head – whether he was going to be faithful to a wife who had no regard to his feelings or needs, or if he was going to fulfill said needs elsewhere. By the time he saw Niko’s face again, he wasn’t so conflicted anymore. He was pretty much decided that he wasn’t going to hold back if things _developed_ between the two of them. And he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back if they did.

The week Harry got back, Jackson began his summer soccer league. Niko was his designated driver and the poor girl had never been to California before and had no idea where she needed to go, so Harry offered to drive to get her acquainted with the directions.  

The fact that Julia didn’t even flinch when Harry told her he was going with Niko – that she didn’t show even the least bit of jealousy, really just went to show how little she had invested in their marriage. Niko was a knock-out and any sane woman would be jealous to have their husband alone with a girl like that, but not Julia. No, she hired her for god’s sake. It was a testament of how little she cared.

“Okay, pay attention now, Niko,” Harry said, smirking over at her once the three of them were in the SUV ready to head to the park.

“Okay, Mr. Styles,” she replied with a smile as he pulled out of the driveway.

“Harry,” he corrected her once again.

“Harry…” She breathed, nodding her head. Harry looked at her from the corner of his eye as a smile turned up his lips.

“You’re not paying attention,” he laughed.

“Oh, right,” she giggled, focusing on the road they were traveling down.

Once they got on the highway, Niko was so mesmerized by the ocean that she really wasn’t pay attention. She was in complete awe of it. She couldn’t help but fixate on the brilliant blue water and the palm trees going by. It was beautiful and magical. She loved everything about California – from what little she’d seen, anyway.

“I’m going to have to write down the directions anyway, aren’t I?” Harry asked her. Niko giggled and looked over at him bashfully.

“Sorry… it’s just… I’ve never been to California. I’ve never seen the pacific ocean,” she told him, with a small smile.

“There’s a lot to do here,” he said knowingly, smirking over at her.

“I want to do it all,” she added, looking over at him wonder-eyed and perfect. She was so beautiful in that moment, Harry almost couldn’t handle it.

“You’re cute,” he chuckled, looking back toward the road. He felt her eyes on him, lingering and he secretly loved it. He loved every bit of attention she gave him.

“Daddy, are we there yet?” Jackson asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. Harry’s eyes immediately looked into the review mirror to see his son in the back seat.

“Almost, bud,” Harry told him with a chuckle. He was so excited to get to play soccer and meet new friends.

“Are you ready to have fun, Jack?” Niko asked, turning in her seat to talk to him, giving Harry a perfect view down her shirt. He bit his lip and reluctantly turned his focus back on the road.

“I’m gonna have so much fun! I LOVE SOCCER!” Jackson said, throwing his arms up excitedly.

“Apparently someone loves soccer,” Harry said to Niko, slyly eyeing her cleavage one last time.

“No doubt,” Niko laughed and turned forward again.

 Once they got to the park, Jackson was so excited to go get started that he was bouncing in his seat.

“Hey, hey. Listen to me, buddy,” Harry told Jackson as they walked up to the group.

“Huh?” Jackson asked, trying hard to focus on his father.

“Niko and I are going to go, but we’ll be back to pick you up in a few hours, okay?” Harry told him.

“Alright,” he said, not seeming to care as his eyes stared straight ahead at all of the other kids.

“I want you to have fun, buddy. And if you’re not having fun, I want you to call me, okay,” Harry told him.

“Yeah,” he said, nodding his head.

But Harry knew he’d be just fine. He was a friendly kid and had a lot of friends back home. It wouldn’t be any different in California. Harry signed him in and met the coaches and chaperones before their session started. Niko and Harry stood there watching the beginning of it and Jackson was already in animated conversation with some of the kids.

“He’ll be fine,” Harry heard Niko say and felt her hand on his arm.

“I know. I never had a doubt in my mind,” Harry said, smiling over at her. She smiled back and he watched as she ran her tongue over her lips. It shouldn’t have affected him the way it did, but for some fucked up reason, he lost the ability to control anything when he was in her presence. 

“We should go,” Harry told her.

“Sure. Yeah,” she agreed, nodding her head as she fell into step beside him walking back to the vehicle.

 Harry really didn’t want to go back to the house. Julia was there and thinking about being in the same house as her was putting him in a terrible mood.

“Do you want to go somewhere?” Harry asked, looking over at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Like where?” She asked, giving him a sideways smile.

“I don’t know. Like the beach or something. Or… _ooh_ the Santa Monica pier. That’s not that far from here,” he told her, feeling excited to be able to bring her somewhere, to show her things.

“The pier sounds awesome,” she cooed, smiling widely at him and he knew she was excited.

“Awesome,” he said, smiling to himself as he slid into the driver seat of the SUV.

The pier was busy, like it always was. There were tourist at all times of the year and the Santa Monica Pier was a big destination for a lot of them. Harry couldn’t even describe the freeing feelings he felt as he walked it with Niko. He only went there one time with Julia. In all the time they spent in California in the seven years they were married, they only went there once together. And without realizing it, Harry mentally added that to his list of bitterness having to do with his wife.

Harry got both of them a lemonade as they walked the pier to the end. He really enjoyed talking to Niko. They got along so well with each other. Their personalities were like mirror images and deep down inside of him, he didn’t care that he was playing with fire by being there with her. It didn’t matter to him that he was committing emotional adultery with this girl. She made him feel good. She laughed at his jokes, made jokes at his expense, and overall just seemed to understand him. And the way she looked at him made him feel like twice the man his wife did. He was sliding down a slippery slope, but he just didn’t care anymore.

“Julia would never do this with me,” Harry said, leaning against the railing of the pier, looking out at the pacific. He sighed, feeling the frustration building inside him as he set his lemonade down at his feet just to prevent him from throwing it in the ocean for some sort of cathartic release having to do with his wife.

“She probably wouldn’t be able to get cell service and have an aneurism over it or something,” he added with a chuckle, trying to keep things light. He heard Niko’s quiet chuckle from next to him.

“We come here – to California, but she doesn’t do anything but work. It’s so hard to get anything out of her,” Harry started to explain. 

For some reason, he felt like he needed to get it off his chest. He needed Niko to know these details, because he felt something between them. He needed her to know he wasn’t going to pull away from her if she wanted this like he knew she did. 

“I’m sorry, Harry,” she breathed sympathetically and he sighed, nodding his head lightly. Niko’s heart broke a little bit as he spoke about his fractured relationship with his wife.

“I miss it here. I used to live here,” Harry said, changing the subject. He didn’t want to think about Julia anymore.

“You did?” She asked curiously. She kind of wondered when and why he moved to the states from England.

“Yeah, in Los Angeles, way back when,” he said, smirking at her.

“Way back when you were a rock star?” She asked, giving him a sideways smile.

“Way back then,” he chuckled.

“Hmm,” she hummed, intertwining her fingers around her lemonade as her arms rested on the railing while she looked out over the water, humming a few bars of _What Makes You Beautiful_.

“Are you sure you weren’t a fan?” Harry asked curiously, eyeing her.

“Are you sad I wasn’t the type of girl to fawn all over you?” She asked, turning her head to smirk at him.

“Maybe,” he said, smiling slyly.

“What kind of fantasy would that fulfill?” She asked, her voice sounding seductive and sexy as she quirked an eyebrow at him.

Niko’s words shot through him, making him realize this was the time. He couldn’t sit back passively and let the opportunity pass him by. Not when he spent the past seven years letting them pass him by for the sake of Julia and their kids. This was it. He was finally going to do something for _him_ for once. 

“One that hasn’t been fulfilled in a long time,” he breathed in a husky voice, answering her loaded question. 

Things grew serious in a matter of seconds. Niko realized how close Harry got to her and turned her body toward his, letting her smile drop off her face. Her hand came up to rest on his chest and he knew… he just knew what she was thinking.

“I’m ten years older than you,” Harry breathed lowly as his hands found her hips.

“We’re both adults,” she replied, looking up into his eyes. And he could see the anticipation in them. 

Harry’s entire body reacted to her statement. She just consented with those three words, she was giving him permission, she was validating their feelings. His eyes searched hers – giving her an extra moment or two to push him away if she wanted to. But when she didn’t, Harry leaned down slowly and kissed her lips. This was it. There was no turning back. 

He was hooked.


	5. {five}

The guilt of what Harry did sunk in as they were sitting around the dinner table that night. It was the first time he’d seen Julia since he kissed Niko and he felt like an asshole for doing it. He was married for Christ’s sake. He was sitting around a table with not only his wife and his two kids, but also the girl he just made out with on the Santa Monica pier. And god—she really was just a _girl_. She was ten years younger than him. What was he even thinking? Apparently, he was only thinking with his penis. His deprivation was really starting to get to him. 

Harry looked up at his wife, who was rambling on about god knows what for the last ten minutes. She really, truly was a beautiful woman. He missed all the things they used to have with one another – including sex. When they first started out, their sex life was absolutely amazing. Her sexual appetite was insatiable and he lived for it. Now, it was like the thought of him made her physically ill or something. 

He bit at the inside of his lip, staring his wife down. 

Was that it? Was she completely repelled by him now? Somewhere down the line their marriage deteriorated into shambles and something had to be the cause of it. Was it because she was no longer attracted to him? His heart sank with the realization that his wife could have possibly lost all interest in him altogether. He started to think back on every memory of every interaction they had lately and it only made his heart spiral further. 

What broke Harry out of his devastation was Niko snickering to herself as she pushed her food around on her plate with her fork. He had no idea what she found so hilarious, but the fact that she could find amusement in their blasé family dinner made him smile. He watched the smirk linger on her lips. The lips he just recently kissed. And she kissed him back with just as much passion. _God_ , she wanted him. She really, truly did. 

Niko looked up, locking eyes with Harry – as if she felt his gaze burning holes into her flesh. He didn’t look away. He needed to see the way her eyes focused solely on his, how her face softened at just the sight of him. She said so much with just her eyes. It made his entire body tingle. The feelings she made him feel were like an addiction. The need to be wanted and adored hit him with a vengeance. And the fact that she was doing both of those things sent waves of desire through his entire body. Oh, he desired her alright. He just didn’t know if he had the balls to truly act on those desires. Kissing was one thing, but sex was on a whole other level.

…

As Harry lay in bed next to Julia that night, he could almost feel the weight of the distance between them in their king-sized bed. He could have reached out his hand and still not have touched her body – that’s how far apart they were. It was rather symbolic since it pretty much defined their relationship for months and months.

“Julia,” Harry sighed.

“Hmm,” she hummed out in the dark, her back to him.

“What happened to us?” He asked quietly. She was silent and it tore at Harry’s heart.

“How did we turn into… _this_?” He asked sadly.

“Turn into what?” She asked, turning over to look at him through what little moonlight that shone through the bedroom window.

“We barely speak or touch or kiss or love each other anymore,” he said, coming straight out with it.

“I love you, Harry,” she told him. Her words made his heart beat a little faster, even though he wasn’t entirely sure if they were genuine or if they were just spoken out of habit.

“I love you, too. I just… I just feel like we’ve grown so far apart from what we used to be,” he said, looking over at her. Julia sighed heavily.

“Baby…” She breathed out. Harry bit at his lip as he felt the sting of tears in his eyes.

“Sometimes I just… sometimes I get really wrapped up in my work. Like this deal I’ve been working on. I swear, this one will be the death of me. It’s taking everything I have,” she explained.

“I’ve noticed,” he said dryly.

“I’m sorry, Harry. I really am. But in order for everything to go smoothly, I need to give it my all,” she told him.

“At the expense of your family?” He asked bitterly. He hated that, to her, work was the end-all and be-all of her life. Like, her family was expendable in comparison.

“Harry…” She sighed.

“I just… I just feel like you’re not doing enough to be a part of this family, Julia. I think we should come first every once in a while, ya know,” he told her. He was trying to keep things light, not wanting to cause an epic war between the two of them at twelve something in the morning.

“Harry, I love you and those kids, okay. You are my family, and I love you,” she said. Again, he couldn’t read whether or not her response was scripted to comply with his feelings or not.

“Are you still attracted to me, Julia?” He asked bluntly, needing an answer before he exploded.

“What? _Harry_ ,” she scoffed.

“It’s a serious question, Julia,” he said as he gritted his teeth together.

“Am I still attracted to you? You have got to be kidding me,” she laughed uncomfortably.

“Why are you drawing this out? It should be simple. Either yes or no, Julia,” he demanded, feeling the annoyance building up inside of him.

“Harry! Of course I am! You’re my husband,” she laughed lightly and he scoffed. Because he was her husband? Like she had an obligation to be attracted to him or something. Like their marriage license was just a contract she signed and must abide by.

“Is this because of the sex?” She asked seriously.

“What sex?” Harry scoffed, letting out a dark laugh.

“Harry, I swear I’m going to make it up to you. This deal… it’s just so exhausting. I don’t even know why I am still awake right now,” she said with a huff.

“Is that the real reason, Julia?” He asked.

“Of course it is,” she said, running her hand across his bare chest. Her touch felt foreign to him and he didn’t know how to feel about that. He sighed, placing his hand over hers.

“Get some sleep,” he breathed, patting her hand lightly.

“I love you, Harry. I really, really do,” she said, placing her hand on his cheek while kissing the other.

“I love you too, Julia,” he told her. 

Not another word was spoken as Julia rolled back over to go to sleep. Harry laid there for a while thinking over everything. Thinking of how nothing was how he planned it to be when he was younger. How he was stuck in his marriage and he felt like he was _drowning_ _._ He just needed to somehow catch his fucking breath. 

Harry pulled himself out of the bed, padding across the hardwood floor to the bedroom door. The entire house was still as he made his way down to the kitchen. When he turned the corner through the doorway, he noticed the light from the refrigerator. He hoped to god he didn’t just stumbled across Mary. He really didn’t want to deal with her awkwardness any more than he had to. But when he saw the long, lean bare legs sticking out from beneath the fridge door, he knew it was Niko. 

His heart beat wildly in his chest at the thought of another run-in with her. They hadn’t spoken to one another since they got back from the pier. There was so much on his mind regarding her. It was hard to keep it all internalized.

Harry heard her grumble as she pulled back from the fridge, shutting the door. 

“Nothing appealing?” Harry asked.

“Jesus Christ!” She yelped, holding her hand over her heart, startled by his presence.

“Mary would have your head on a stake if she heard you use Jesus’ name in vain like that,” Harry chuckled lightly.

“That girl needs to get _laid_ ,” Niko joked, rolling her eyes before smiling at Harry.

“Not before marriage!” He said, feigned outrage. Niko’s giggles filled the stillness of the kitchen, which made him smile. 

Mary wasn’t the only one who needed to get laid. And the fact that Niko brought up sex really made it harder than ever to not think of her in that light. 

“So seriously, is there anything to eat?” Harry asked her, stepping up next to her to pull open the fridge himself.

“Not unless you want to eat lettuce plain or butter from the container,” Niko chuckled.

“Yum,” he said, letting the word drip with sarcasm. 

He really hated his wife’s ridiculous rule of not keeping leftovers in the fridge. Seriously, leftovers were almost better than the real meal. For someone who ate out a lot in their life, leftovers were like a god damn gift from god. 

Niko jumped up to sit on top of the counter, dangling her bare legs over the edge. She was only wearing a short pair of shorts and a tank top – the minimalism of the outfit, not lost on him. He could see her nipples protruding out of the fabric and it did things to him that it shouldn’t have. He shook his head lightly, trying to push the thoughts out of his head. 

“So… why are you awake at twelve-thirty in the morning?” Harry asked her as she watched him with a smirk on his face.

“I couldn’t sleep. And of course, I was hungry,” she said with a passive shrug.

“It would have helped if you actually ate dinner,” he pointed out and she chuckled lightly. She could feel the blush in her cheeks when she realized just how much attention Mr. Styles was paying her at dinner.

“I had a few things on my mind… like your wife’s mind-numbing chatter about her business deal,” Niko scoffed playfully. Harry groaned at the memory. Julia really didn’t know when to shut up sometimes.

“Why are you awake?” Niko asked, reversing the question on him.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he said, giving her an uneasy look. 

He watched as her gaze dropped down to her legs and he let his fall there too. She took notice of his fingertips touching her bare thigh. He didn’t even notice he was touching her until she did. What was that about idle hands being the devil’s play thing or something? 

Niko’s eyes met his and they just stared at each other for a few weighted moments. Harry wanted to kiss her again so bad. He wanted to touch her more than anything. His brain was a jumbled mess as he leaned forward, planting his lips straight on hers. She kissed back immediately and his desire grew and grew. His fingers came up to tangle in her hair as his tongue moved fluidly with her own.

Harry moved to stand between Niko’s legs as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Their kisses took on a life of their own – ranging from sweet and playful to hard and desperate. Harry didn’t want to stop. She was so amazing. He wanted to touch her everywhere and letting himself be a little bit naughty, his hand trailed over the perfect peak of her breast.

 That was until he heard a noise come from out in the hallway.

 “Someone’s coming,” Harry breathed against her lips, breaking the kiss. 

Niko’s eyes widened as he took a large step back. She was on her feet seconds later, making a dash for the back entrance to the kitchen, hiding herself away. Moments later, Julia popped into the kitchen. Harry’s heart was beating in his throat as his wife stood there with her hands on her hips, staring at him. 

“Harry? What is going on down here?” She asked sternly.

_Shit_.

“Uh… I was just looking for something to eat,” he stammered, coming up with a quick and easy lie.

“You of all people should know that eating before bed is not good for you,” Julia immediately scolded him. 

His fear of her finding out he was just making out with the hot nanny dissipated and was replaced with an annoyance that built inside of him for months on end. He wanted Julia to get the hell out of his face. 

“You’re right. I’m just going to grab some water. I’ll see you upstairs,” he said, shooing her toward the kitchen door.

“Alright,” she said, pursing her lips together, before she turned on her heels and disappeared out the door. Harry watched her ascend the stairs, going back to bed. He sighed before he turned back into the kitchen. 

“ _Whew_ …” Niko said, playfully wiping at her forehead with the back of her hand as she walked back in from the opposite door. She was being comical, but Julia put him in a mood and he was unable to fully appreciate the humor.

“Close call,” she said with a sneaky smirk.

“We really shouldn’t do that again,” Harry said, shaking his head, keeping himself from looking at her. Because he knew if he looked at her, he’d want to kiss her again, to touch her again. And he knew it _shouldn’t_ happen. 

But Niko had other plans. She tip-toed straight over to him, purposely ignoring the distance he kept between them.

“But it’s just so much fun,” she breathed, grabbing on to the back of his neck, planting her lips straight on his.

 Harry’s fingers dug into the flesh on her hips, pulling her to his body as close as he could get her as their lips moved heatedly against one another’s. It was exactly what he felt like he needed. He needed to be wanted again. He needed to feel the closeness of another human being again. He needed the touch of a woman again. He just fucking needed it. And Niko gave him exactly that. 

“You really are trouble,” he told her with a laugh when he broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers.

“So are you,” she said, smirking back fondly before she turned on her heels and disappeared to her bedroom. 

_So much fucking trouble._

…

“Tommo…” Harry breathed into the receiver of his cell phone. He stood pacing the floor of the pool house the next morning as he called Louis. 

“What?” Louis asked.

“I think I fucked up. I mean, maybe. I mean, I don’t know. I mean, _fuck_ ,” Harry grumbled.

“Whoa. Slow down, Harry,” Louis told him quickly. Harry sighed, wiggling his free hand at his side in an anxious motion.

“What did you do?” Louis questioned.

“Niko—” He began.

“Oh, Harry. You didn’t,” Louis breathed lowly.

“No. No, I didn’t _do_ Niko. I just… I kissed her. And then I kissed her again. I mean, we did a lot of kissing. Two different times,” Harry explained.

“Harry…” Louis sighed with disappointment in his tone.

“Don’t judge me, okay. When Liz stops fucking you _then_ you can judge me, okay. When she stops acknowledging your existence _then_ you can judge me, alright,” he snapped at Louis.

“Alright. I’m sorry,” Louis huffed. Harry took a deep breath, trying to dispel the flash of anger that shot through him.

“So, tell me what happened,” Louis sighed, resigning to the fact that Harry needed someone to talk to, even if he didn’t approve of his behavior. 

Harry went on to tell him all about the pier and all about their little impromptu make-out session in the kitchen and how everything inside of him wanted more of it, even _needed_ more of it.

“Sounds to me like you’re getting in over your head, mate,” Louis told him.

“I can’t help it. I wish you could meet her. You’d see just what I am talking about. She is absolutely gorgeous, Louis. And she is smart and funny and just… _ugh_ ,” Harry groaned as visions of Niko swum around in his head.

“Harry?” Louis’s voice was quiet and questioning.

“What?” He asked, breaking out of his daydream.

“You need to make up your mind. You need to make a choice. You can’t start something with this girl and keep Julia around. Things don’t work that way,” Louis told him. Harry bit his lip and shook his head, feeling the anger come back.

“It’s not that easy,” he grumbled.

“It’s going to be the hardest thing you have to do. But you need to think long and hard about what you really want. Is your marriage what’s really best for you? Or are _other_ things?” Louis asked, sounding like he was really trying to choose his words carefully. 

Harry sat down on the couch with a huff, contemplating what he said. 

“Julia… Harry, she’s not who she used to be, mate,” Louis said finally. Harry was painfully aware of that fact. He didn’t need Louis to point it out.

“You need to make a choice on whether or not you should keep struggling or to…” Louis sighed, cutting himself off.

“It’s _not_ that easy, Louis,” Harry growled through his teeth. 

He had more than just their feelings as husband and wife to think about and Louis knew it. Jackson and Avery would be devastated if he and Julia were to get a divorce. They were so young. He couldn’t even think about what it would do to them. 

“Eventually, Harry… eventually it will all catch up with you. And I know exactly what has you so reluctant to make such a drastic decision. But Jackson and Avery will learn to adapt, Harry. They’re kids – they’re naturally resilient,” Louis went on, like he could read Harry’s mind.

“Do you even hear what you’re saying? ‘ _They’re_ _naturally resilient’?_ This isn’t just a decision I can come up with overnight, Louis. This is big shit, okay. You’re talking about me ending my seven year _marriage_. That is heavy shit, mate,” Harry growled, getting angry with Louis.

“Harry, I know. I know. And I’ve been hearing from you for a long time about how you’re not happy; about how Julia doesn’t treat you or those kids right, Harry. You’ve mentioned divorce yourself, you know,” he pointed out.

“I just… _god_ , man. I just… I can’t think about that right now,” he said, running his hand violently through his hair.

“But you can think about fucking the twenty year old nanny?” Louis shot at him.

“ _Oh my god_ ,” Harry growled, rolling his eyes.

“Sorry,” Louis’s voice came through the line meeker than before.

“No, you’re right,” Harry sighed, realizing he was going about it all wrong.

“Just think about what you’re doing,” Louis said finally.

…

By the afternoon, by the time Niko was in his presence again, Harry put his conversation with Louis to the back of his mind. Niko – with her bright smile and beaming presence. He just wanted to spend all of his time with her. When she asked him for a quick recap of the directions to the soccer field, he started to convey them, but stopped himself and asked if she just wanted him to just show her again. With a bashful smile, she told him yes. So, the three of them headed out once again.

Jackson wasn’t even phased by it and ran off toward his new friends once they arrived at the soccer field. 

Not wanting to go back home, Harry took Niko down to Hollywood, where she transformed into the most intrigued person on the entire planet, which intrigued him. He loved watching her whole face light up when they saw landmark after landmark in downtown Hollywood. He loved showing her new things. He loved her reaction to everything – the way she smiled and giggled and threw her arms around him in a hug unexpectedly when she found something to be utterly amazing. She was a great girl. She really, truly was. 

“Thank you,” Niko said, smiling over at Harry as they walked back to the car.

“For what?” He asked, giving her an odd look.

“This. Everything. I would be stuck at the house if it wasn’t for you,” she said, smiling wondrously.

“Too bad there’s only one more day this week of Jackson’s soccer practice,” Harry said, smirking over at her.

“Yeah. Too bad,” she said, but it got lost in the wind as she opened the passenger door of the SUV and slid inside.

As they drove back to the soccer field, Harry felt a sense of dread wash over him. Their day was coming to a close and he hated that so much. He was beginning an infatuation with this girl and he just wanted her all to himself. He wanted her so badly. 

As he parked the car in the parking lot to pick up Jackson, Niko grabbed for the door handle to get out, but Harry placed his hand on the top of her bare thigh stopping her. He didn’t know what to say and he couldn’t look up at her, but he didn’t want their time to be over just yet. Jackson was still running around with the other kids, Harry knew they still had time. 

They just sat there for a few moments, his hand still on her thigh. She was staring at him and he was frozen in apprehension. There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn’t find the words. He knew he needed to do something, to _say_ something. 

“I haven’t slept with my wife in months. It’s been so long that I can’t even remember the last time,” he spoke, his voice low, but he knew she heard him.

“She’s so wrapped up in her work that she doesn’t even realize our marriage is falling apart. From the outside, we look like such a happy family, but that’s not how it is. Not really. You can have sex without love, but you can’t have love without sex. There’s just that bond that gets broken without it. There will always be a need,” Harry went on to explain.

“Are you… are you getting it _elsewhere_?” Niko asked to satisfy her own curiosity, her voice startling him. 

Harry slowly shook his head to tell her no. He could feel her staring at him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look up at her. He felt her hand cover the top of his hand that was placed on her thigh. He jerked slightly at her touch, only because he wasn’t expecting it. 

“I could be that for you,” she breathed lowly. 

Harry felt sick to his stomach from her words, because he felt pure and utter elation from them. His vision finally met with hers to gage her reaction. To see if she actually meant what she said, or even understood what she was suggesting. When she gave him a slight nod of her head, his lips crashed into hers without warning. He kissed her for a few frenzied moments before he pulled back again, realizing where they were. 

“We shouldn’t be doing this… not here,” he told her.

“Yeah…” She breathed.

“Tonight?” He asked her hopefully, feeling the excitement and anticipation bubbling up in his stomach.

“Tonight,” she confirmed with a nod of her head. 

Harry nodded too before he pushed open the car door and got out to go get his son. 

_Tonight._ He couldn’t wait.


	6. {six}

Niko was antsy. The whole way back to the house, she was antsy. She couldn’t sit still. She nervously tapped her foot on the floor of the car and bit at her finger nails like a heroin addict fiening for their next fix. Harry’s insides squeezed tightly, feeling as if he was the biggest con-artist in the word. Did he pressure her into this? Did he persuade her unfairly by telling her his sob-story about how his wife won’t fuck him? Did she just agree out of pity?

“Are you okay, Niko?” Harry asked curiously, looking almost worried.

“What? Yeah. I’m fine,” she told him. Harry’s eyes fell to her bouncing knee and she steadied it before crossing the other leg over it to weight it down.

 “Are you sure?” He asked, giving her another curious look.

“Super,” she said with a smile.

“We…” He started to say, but looked back at Jackson to see if his seven year old son was paying attention to anything they were saying. Thankfully he wasn’t. He had headphones on and was watching the movie that played on the screens inside of the SUV.

“We don’t have to do this. We can just—” Harry said in a hushed tone before Niko cut him off.

“No. What? Harry, I’m fine. I just… I’m still really excited that I got to see Hollywood today,” she said, giving him a genuine smile.

“Okay, so you’re not freaked out then?” He asked.

“What? No,” she said, giving him an odd look. If anything, she was excited. It was what she wanted from the moment she saw him. He was all she could think about.

“Cause if we’re being honest… I’m a little freaked out. I’ve never done something like _this_ before,” he said in his hushed tone.

“Are you… are you having second thoughts?” Niko asked uneasily.

“No. No, no. I just… I don’t know. This is not something I _do_ ,” he said.

“Well it’s not something _I_ do either,” she told him.

“Good. So, we’re okay then? You’re not freaked out by the creepy old guy coming on to you?” Harry asked.

“Harry, you’re neither creepy nor old,” Niko said, smiling widely at him and he chuckled.

“Thanks,” he said, turning his eyes back to the road, unable to keep a smile off his face.

…

The anticipation made Harry jittery, like he was on drugs or something. He couldn’t still his body if he tried. It was times like these that he wished he had a vice, like smoking or something to calm his nerves. Then he remembered, in most cases, running could always center and calm him down.

“Where are you going?” Julia asked him as he laced up his trainers.

“I uh… I’m going for a run,” he told her.

“In the evening?” She asked, looking at him like it was the most bizarre thing in the world.

“Yeah, in the evening,” he scoffed as he continued tying his shoes.

“But you… you run in the morning,” she stammered, looking wide-eyed, almost scared.

“Well, I want to go for a run now,” he snapped.

“But… but what about dinner?” She choked out. 

Harry sighed, rolling his eyes. She was only worried that she might have to cook dinner for once in her life. 

“Don’t worry. Mary offered to cook tonight,” Harry said, shaking his head, annoyed with his wife.

“Oh. Good. I-I just… I…” She let out a sigh.

“Yeah, yeah. _Work_ ,” Harry grumbled, knowing what she was really worried about.

“I’ve just got… I’ve got a lot going on right now,” she said for the millionth time.

“I assumed,” he said sarcastically.

“Harry…” She sighed.

“No, it’s alright, Julia. Go. Go work,” he said, shooing her off as he stood up.

“Can I… can I at least have a kiss?” Julia asked. Harry sighed, but leaned over, leaving a quick peck on her lips.

“Enjoy your run,” she told him, trying to sound supportive.

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed unenthusiastically, walking out of the room.

When Harry got outside he took a deep breath and walked toward the stairs that led down to the beach. Once he was in the sand, he started stretching quickly, trying to push Julia out of his mind and bring Niko to the forefront. Excitement ran up his spine, leaving a smile on his lips as he took off on foot down the beach. 

As he was running, thinking of only Niko and what her body looked like and would feel like, a thought struck him. They needed protection. He didn’t have any condoms. He hadn’t had sex since April, his wife wouldn’t touch him – why would he have condoms? And he didn’t expect Niko to either. He immediately turned around heading for home. When he got back on the property, he snuck into the house, grabbing the keys for one of the vehicles and took off toward the store. He felt like a deviant walking up to the counter with only a box of condoms, so he threw in a bunch of other shit to add to the order. No, he didn’t need chips or a candy bar or the over-priced bottle of water he purchased, but he didn’t care. 

When Harry got back, he went straight for the pool house, feeling like he would get caught with those god damn things if he brought them into the house. He paced the floor, trying to find a place to put them. His mind was a mess with all the sneaking around. But god damn it, it was going to be worth it. In the end, Harry shoved the condoms in the nightstand drawer in the bedroom of the pool house and quickly left the exterior building to head to the main house. Dinner was most likely almost ready and he needed a shower.

…

Dinner was absolutely daunting. Harry just wanted it to be over. He wanted bath time to be over with the kids. He wanted them in their beds. He wanted Julia sound asleep. He wanted to sneak into Niko’s room. He wanted Niko. The way she watched him during dinner, biting her lip, made him go absolutely mad. He had to keep looking around to make sure no one noticed this thing between them. She was all sorts of trouble. But he wanted to jump in head first with her.

Niko’s eyes focused on Harry’s lips – the wonderfully voluptuous pinkness that knew how to ignite the deepest spark inside her. Her eyes roamed over his face – noticing how in the past couple of days, he let his stubble grow out into a fine sheathing of hair that took his masculinity to another level. And those eyes – those eyes that could seemingly see right through hers to the place where all the upside down images turn right side up again. Her eyes moved down his face to his neck, his collar bone, his gorgeously tanned tattooed skin – every place where she wanted her lips to explore.

She could feel herself growing excited as she sat there fantasizing about him. She had to look away – if only to make her intentions less obvious to the others in the room. She focused on her plate – chicken parmesan. It took everything she had not to sneak another look. He was like a new toy on Christmas – all she wanted to do was play. And she couldn’t wait to have her turn. 

Getting the kids ready for bed that night was a task. Niko’s mind was elsewhere and even the patient _Virgin Mary_ was having a tough time with her lack of enthusiasm for her job that night.

“Nikola… _earth to Nikola_ ,” Mary said as they sat by the bathtub the kids were in.

“Huh? What?” Niko asked, snapping out of her daydream.

“Can you please pass me the shampoo?” Mary asked a little curtly. Niko had no idea how long Mary was trying to get her attention.

“Oh, right. Sorry,” Niko said, grabbing for it as the kids giggled at her.

“It would be appreciated if you could help out,” Mary said.

 “Sorry. Yeah, I’ll help,” Niko said, grabbing a wash cloth to soap up Jackson and then Avery.

“I’ve been working all day whereas you have just driven Jackson to practice and back. What do you do for three hours while you’re gone?” Mary asked as she rubbed shampoo into Avery’s hair. Niko bit her lip, trying to think of a lie to tell her.

“Daddy drives me to soccer. Daddy _and_ Niko,” Jackson chimed in. Niko’s eyes shot to him. _Damn you, kid_ _._

“Uh well, Harry – _Mr. Styles_ was just showing me how to get there so I can drive the rest of the time. And uh, as for the time… I pretty much sit in the car while Mr. Styles runs errands – like business stuff,” Niko stammered.

Ugh, she sounded so guilty. But Mary, being the trusting person she was, just nodded and began shampooing Jackson’s hair. _Whew_. She really needed to snap out of it.

The kids were put to bed and Niko was free. And as she was coming down the hallway she ran into Harry.

“Hey,” he breathed lowly, his eyes watching her.

“Hey,” Niko said wide-eyed, biting at her lip.

“Umm, I don’t know when but…” He started to say.

“That’s okay. Whenever,” she said, shrugging it off as if she wasn’t just obsessing over it for the last two and a half hours.

“Yeah…” He said before his eyes quickly darted down the hallway behind her.

“Great job tonight, Niko. You have a good night,” he said formally and then walked passed her altogether. Niko turned around to see Mary coming down the hallway with the wet towels from the bathroom.

“Goodnight, Mr. Styles,” she said to him in a nonchalant manner.

“Have a good night, Mary. I will see you in the morning,” Harry said before passing her too.

“Goodnight, Mr. Styles,” Mary said quietly.

“Here, let me grab those, Mary. You go on to bed. I’ll finish up,” Niko told her, grabbing the towels from her hands.

“Thank you,” she said and hurried off.

Niko took the towels to the laundry room and threw them in the hamper. The cleaning lady would be coming by tomorrow. She wasn’t about to start a load of laundry at this hour. 

Niko made her way to her room, grabbing her shower supplies before heading off to the bathroom. She turned on the radio on a soft volume so she had something to hold her attention other than what had been bombarding her brain for the past – _what… eight hours?_  

When she was done with her shower, Niko made her way back to her room and dug through her clothes. She needed to find something to wear – something sexy. She decided on a pair of black lace panties, a pair of black shorts and a magenta camisole. It was the sexiest thing she had going for her. All her clothes were so _casual_.

Niko laid down in bed and waited… and waited. She didn’t realize how tired she was until she was lying there. Soon enough her eyes became the enemy and fluttered closed.

…

It was nearly midnight when Julia decided to finally come to bed. Harry was fuming as he lay there, flipping channels on the TV. The later she stayed up working on her shit, the longer he would have to wait for her to fall asleep and he didn’t want to deal with it. Once he turned off the TV, he lay there waiting for her breathing to even out so he could try to sneak out. But every time he made a move to leave, she would shift and make his heart nearly beat out of his chest as he tried not to panic.

When Harry woke up to the sun shining through the windows, he was infuriated. He looked over to find that Julia already got up for the day and he missed out on his chance with Niko. He was livid. Niko was going to think he stood her up – that he got scared or something. When in all actuality, it was his wife fucking up his life even more.

Harry dressed in his running clothes, needing to release some tension. He hoped to see Niko on the way out, but she must not have been awake yet. Or she was avoiding him. He grumbled to himself as he took to the beach again, pushing himself as hard as he could because he was so angry at himself for falling asleep and angry at Julia for being the lightest sleeper on planet fucking earth.

…

Niko woke up confused to see the morning sun beaming through her curtains. Disappointment and rejection washed over her. Harry never showed. She waited and he never showed up.

 She dressed quickly and went through her morning routine before she headed to the kitchen. Mary was in there with the kids, who were just finishing up their breakfast. No Harry in sight. She wanted to grab some coffee but decided against it, because even more than being caffeinated, she wanted to find Harry and see what the hell was going on. 

She went outside by the pool to see if maybe he was out there doing his morning stretches, but he wasn’t. She sort of felt like a stalker or a lover scorned, so she decided to just sit down on a lounge chair and calm down. She knew she was being ridiculous – he must have his reasons and no matter what they were, she was cool with it because it was just supposed to be casual. It was just for fun. 

Niko laid there for a little while enjoying the warm sun very much. It calmed and centered her.

When Harry ran back up the stairs from the beach and walked into the backyard by the pool, he spotted Niko lying on a lounge chair in the sun wearing shorts and a tank top. It wasn’t her usual bikini, but it was still sexy. He walked over to her, knowing it was now or never. _Now or never_. Harry hovered above her, blocking the sun from her face as his chest still heaved from his run. She slowly opened her eyes and let a smile spread across her lips.  

“Meet me in the pool house in twenty minutes,” Harry told her in a hushed tone.

Niko nodded and he walked away. She watched him go, feeling flustered. And what would they be doing in the pool house during the daylight hours?

Harry dashed up the stairs to the master bath and immediately removed his clothes, jumping in the shower. He was about to get laid for the first time in months and he was going to make sure to be clean when he did it. Just the thought of what was about to happen made him get so hard that he had to turn the water to cold. Because _fuck_ —he was not about to jerk-off before his big moment. He needed all the stamina he could muster because he wanted it to be good for her too. He didn’t want to be pathetic and either _a)_ not be able to get it up, or _b)_ bust like a god damn inexperienced teenaged boy.

Harry jumped out of the shower and toweled himself off quickly, still sporting his god damn hard-on. He was certain it wouldn’t go away until he did something about it. So when he put his shorts on, he just tucked it up into his waist band and put on a long enough t-shirt to cover it up. 

Niko made it to the pool house before Harry. She really had nothing better to do, obviously. She walked around the small apartment-style space, closing whatever curtains were open and making sure all the doors were locked just in case someone decided they wanted to stumble in there – although she highly doubted anyone would.

Harry weaved his way through the house undetected, before walking through the backyard to the pool house. When he opened the door, Niko was already waiting for him, which excited him even more. Harry locked the door behind him and moved toward her as she stood up from the couch.

“I’m sorry about last night…” He started to say.

“Harry, no. Whatever,” she said, waving it off nonchalantly.

“I just… I couldn’t get away. Sometimes Julia is a really light sleeper. It seemed like every time I made a move to get out of bed she would toss and turn. It was just…” Harry trailed off as his eyes roamed over her. He needed to just shut the fuck up and take this woman, like planned. 

“Seriously. No big deal,” she said with a smile. 

Harry eagerly pressed forward, grabbing her face in his hands, planting a firm kiss on her lips. She kissed back momentarily before she started giggling and pulled back altogether. 

“Whoa there, Tiger,” she giggled. Harry smirked bashfully as his cheeks burned with blush.

“We can’t… not… not during the day…” She stammered.

“Why not? Nobody ever comes in here. Seriously, who’s going to come in here? Mary is with the kids. And Julia… we all know where Julia is,” Harry explained, putting his hands on her hips, slowly pulling her body toward his.

“Are you sure?” She asked, biting her lip.

“I am sure,” he breathed against her lips.

When she pushed forward, pressing their lips together, he knew it was on. He couldn’t help the guttural moan that escaped his throat as he kissed her. She was making him a very, _very_ happy man. 

Harry’s fingers danced around the flesh of her hips before he grasped onto the hem of her tank top wanting more than anything to rip it right off of her. So he did. He pulled it right over her head and she let him. He tossed it onto the floor at their feet before his gaze fell to the top of her breasts. _Dear god_ , they were magnificent. Niko smirked up at him as her arms reached around behind her, undoing the clasps of her bra. It fell forward on her arms, revealing the most perfect set of nipples on the most perfectly rounded breast he had ever seen. _God._

Harry reached up, cupping both of his hands around them. He didn’t know what it was – maybe the fact that men didn’t have them – but breast were about the most amazing things to knead through fingers. They were soft and playful and bouncy and just so sexy. 

Harry looked up into Niko’s eyes and caught the smirk that was playing across her lips. He smirked back at her before he dipped his head down, taking her right nipple in his mouth. It had been so long since he got to play like this. It was just _so_ amazing. He swirled his tongue around it and tugged at it with his lips and teeth before he moved on to the next one, giving it the same treatment. He heard Niko’s moan and it was like an electrical jolt of pleasure shot straight to his penis. 

“Your body… it’s amazing,” Harry breathed against her warm skin before he stood up straight again, pulling her hips against his.

“ _Mmm_ ,” she hummed before he took her lips with his own again.

 Niko let her fingers wrap up in his hair as she kissed him hard. He let his own hands move down her body until they grasped firmly onto her bum, pulling her body up into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her into the bedroom as they continued kissing. When he laid her down on the bed, she let out a giggle and he smiled down at her before tugging at the collar of his shirt, pulling off. 

Harry watched as Niko sat up and he waited on baited breath as she wrapped her fingers around the waistband of his shorts, tugging them down until they were pooled at his ankles. He was standing in front of her with the hardest hard-on he ever had in history and she was just staring at it, licking her lips. His excitement level was through the roof and he was sure if she stopped them from going any further, he was sure to keel over and die. But she didn’t stop. Her eyes worked over his thickness and he smirked down at her as she grasped it gently in her hand.

Before Harry could even focus on what to do next, Niko wrapped her mouth around the head of his penis. All intelligent thought went straight out the window. He was lost in the hot, wet rhythm of her mouth. He was certain he let out some unnatural noises at some point as his body twitched in front of her. She was going to make him lose his mind. 

Harry’s jerking and moaning were gratification enough for Niko to know she was doing a good job. She learned early on in college that she had some skill in this department. Not to say she was a slut going around blowing every hot guy she saw, but it was college – a time for experimentation. But then again, so was this.

When she pulled her mouth off of him, he looked straight down at her, finding her eyes already looking up into his. 

“That was… that was… _fuck_. It’s been a long time,” he stammered, smiling euphorically.

He couldn’t even remember the last blow job he got. Probably somewhere in his fourth year of marriage. So to feel a mouth on that appendage was so gratifying in itself, he might have just been satisfied with that. 

“You poor, poor boy. Let’s put an end to your sexual drought,” Niko said, smirking at him seductively, lying back on the bed as she unbuttoned her shorts.

“ _Let’s_ ,” he agreed enthusiastically, smirking at her as he bent down to pull the shorts off of her body.

Niko was wearing black lace panties and it was probably one of the sexiest turn-ons for Harry. _Black fucking lace_. He ran his palm over her mound, appreciating the fine fabric before he pulled them down her legs and off her body.

“Are you ready?” Harry asked, looking her in the eye. He wanted to know that she was really up for this.  She looked back into his eyes and smiled up at him before nodding her head. 

Harry grabbed her leg, kissing his way from her ankle up, savoring every moment he spent devouring this girl. Once he reached her womanhood, he smirked up at her before his mouth began to pleasure her. It was one of his specialties back in the day. He made woman come left and right from just his mouth. It didn’t take long before he had her moaning and writhing below him and when her orgasm hit her, she let out a deep moan that boosted the hell out of his ego. _He still had it_. 

“Are you in for more?” He asked as he crawled up her body, ready to really give it to her.

“As long as you make it feel _that_ good,” she giggled as her chest rose and fell rapidly from her heavy breathing.

“I’ll make it feel better,” he promised, smirking at her confidently.

Niko smiled widely, letting out a soft chuckle as Harry leaned over to grab a condom out of the nightstand drawer. 

“I was prepared for this,” Harry said, smirking at her as he got on his knees, ripping the condom open

“Good thinking, babe,” she giggled, but slowly began to blush when she realized what she called him.

Harry didn’t seemed too incredibly freaked out by her little pet name, he just smiled down at her as he rolled the condom down himself. Niko watched with attentive eyes, really enjoying her view of his _fit-as-hell_ body and all of his many, _many_ tattoos. She could see all his definition in his abdomen as he leaned down, concentrating on really getting a tight fit on the condom. _God damn, he was sexy_.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” He asked, finally bringing his attention to her again as he leaned forward, pressing his hands against the mattress on either side of her.

“Are you expecting me to stop you? I’m not a virgin, Harry. You can have me,” she told him seriously. 

Harry’s entire body reacted favorably to her words. Oh—just _ohmyfuckinggod_. She was _killing_ him. 

He didn’t waste any more time. He _needed_ to have her. He _needed_ to feel what she felt like. As lined himself up and he slowly pushed inside, he felt her body welcoming him, enveloping around him with her warmth. She let out a low moan and the combination of that and the sensations coursing through his body made him feel drunk. At least his brain did. He felt hazy and perfectly content all at once. 

Harry’s rhythm was slow and steady at first, sending waves of pleasure through his entire body, hoping she was feeling something akin to what he was. He wanted to be good for her. After a few moments, he felt her start to buck her hips into his and he knew he needed to step up his game. 

“Faster, Harry. _Please_ , faster,” she moaned helplessly, which made him smirk wildly. If that’s what she wanted, then that’s what she would get.

He sped up just for her, just to hear the gasps and moans escape from her lips, just to give her the same pleasure he was feeling from her. The faster he went, the more breathy her gasps got and it was probably the sexiest thing on earth, _literally_. He buried his face in the crook of her neck as he pushed harder and dug deeper. Niko’s blunt fingertips were digging into the flesh on his back and Harry was gripping fists full of the sheets in his grasp. He kept his rhythm for quite a while, surprising himself with his stamina after only having his hand to sate him for months, but soon enough he was literally ready to explode. 

“Oh… _oh_ …” She breathed, the sound coming out a few octaves higher than her normal voice.

“Are you gonna… are you gonna…?” Harry asked breathlessly as he pulled up, looking at her face, thankful that he wasn’t about to come before she got a chance to again.

“Uh-huh… _ohhh_ ,” she moaned loudly as he continued moving in and out of her. Harry watched as she lost herself again, her body becoming rigid, her nipples hardening further. It was so entrancing, so sensual. 

What Niko felt was better – _so_ much better than she could ever imagine. Harry was good, _so fucking good_. He kept rocketing into her, even when she could tell he was well on the way to finding his end. Quickly, he pulled himself up, only to grab onto her thighs as he pushed and pulled her body at a new angle. When he felt the _oh so_ familiar tingles of orgasm, he ran his right hand up her body and grasped onto her breast. 

“ _Oh, god_ …” He groaned as he lost himself inside of her, his rhythm faltering before he fell forward onto her body in a heap. 

“That was… that was unbelievable,” he moaned against her collarbone, feeling as if he just gave her every ounce of energy he had to give.

“ _Mm-hmm_ ,” she agreed as she held onto his body tightly, curling her legs around his. 

Harry could’ve stayed like that, wrapped in her arms forever if the world would just let him. As unconventional as it was, it was the start of something extraordinary and they both knew it.


	7. {seven}

Niko and Harry laid in the bed in the pool house kissing and touching each other for a little while after. Harry really enjoyed it, since it wasn’t only the act of sex he was missing out on. It was everything – from cuddling to kissing to exploring, even the after-sex banter. He missed everything. And their little romp brought him back to all the old familiar feelings. He could tell by the way they connected on just about every level that it wasn’t going to take long for his heart and his head to align. A fact he knowingly chose to ignore as her naked body pressed perfectly against his own. He could already distinguish the feelings of adoration coursing through him as he looked at her. 

“As much as I would love to have round two with you, right here, right now… I need to go… work… soon,” Niko said, smiling at him as she lazily interlaced his fingers with her own.

“Mmm, round two,” he hummed, his eyes half-lidded. 

He let his fingers trail down her arm after she let go of his hand, using his index finger as a guide as it moved across her porcelain skin. 

“Round two will have to wait,” she giggled, wiggling away from him. 

Harry groaned as she slipped out of his arms, holding on to her until the last possible second. He propped his head up on his hand and watched as she looked for her discarded clothing. She pulled her black lace panties back up her legs and bent down to pick up her shorts. 

“Where is my bra… and my shirt?” She asked, pulling up the denim shorts and buttoning them back up.

“Out there,” Harry said, pointing to the doorway with a smirk on his face. 

She giggled as she disappeared out of the bedroom. Harry pulled himself out of the bed and grabbed his own shorts, replacing them on his body. He walked to the doorway of the bedroom and leaned against its frame, watching as Niko hooked her bra back on her body and then threw her tank top back over her head. When she turned around, she caught sight of him, letting a smile curl up on her lips. He smirked back at her, enjoying everything about her. 

“I’m gonna… go,” she said, pointing back at the main pool house door.

“Thee old love ‘em and leave ‘em, huh?” Harry smirked at her.

“That’s the way it’s gotta be, _Mr. Styles_ ,” she said, putting emphasis on his name at the end, reminding him he was her boss. Harry raised his eyebrows at her as she closed the gap between them, leaving a quick kiss on his lips to signify the parting of ways. 

“I’ll see _you_ later,” Harry said, slapping her ass as she turned and made her way to the door.

“Naughty!” She smirked back at him before she opened the door, checking if the coast was clear. When it was, she disappeared out of sight, letting the door close behind her.

Harry sighed and turned back into the bedroom. He let his body flop back onto the bed as he ran his hands over his face, blowing out a large breath. They crossed the point of no return. He and Niko were no longer just flirting with each other. They just became lovers and he didn’t know how to process it in his brain. What freaked him out the most was the feelings of infatuation that burrowed their way deep inside of him. Sex was never _just_ sex. Not to someone who had a heart and felt feelings. There were always strings attached. _Always_.

 

Niko snuck back to her room without running into anyone. She sat on her bed and relived every moment in her head. It was exciting. She never had sex with someone with so much experience – someone who knew what they were doing. High school boys and college boys – that’s all she ever had back in her day. The older man with the sexual maturity – she never knew what she was missing. Harry was a man that knew how to pleasure a woman and he did it well.

That afternoon, Niko took the kids and their dog Zeus swimming in the pool – something Jackson and Avery loved very much. Harry came outside and sat on one of the lounge chairs watching them. Every time Niko’s eyes met his from the pool, his whole body tingled. He couldn’t help but stare at her, to just watch her with his children. She was so good with them – a natural with kids. That was even more of a turn-on to him. He should have looked for someone like her when he was younger – someone who _wanted_ to have children with him. Instead, he let physical desire and recklessness guide him into Julia’s arms. And there he was, wishing the twenty-two year old nanny could take over motherly duties of his children. They sure as hell got more stimulation and love from Niko than they did from their own mother. 

As they were all getting out of the pool, Niko wrapped towels around both of the kids and helped them dry off before she sent them on their way up to their bedrooms to change. She told Avery she’d be up to help her with her clothes in a few minutes and Avery happily ran off after giving Harry a quick kiss on the cheek. He smiled after his kids and didn’t even noticed when Niko walked up to him. 

“You know, it’s incredibly distracting having you undressing me with your eyes, Mr. Styles,” Niko cooed, smirking flirtatiously at him.

“ _Oh_. Well, I guess I really can’t help myself,” he chuckled, looking over at her seductively. His gaze fell to the top of her breasts as he licked his lips.

“You’re doing it again,” she chuckled lightly.

“Like I said…” He smiled up at her.

“Like you said,” she repeated as she walked passed him, trailing her finger across his arm. His arm tingled from her touch as he watched her walk into the house and out of his vision.

“God damn,” he breathed, running his fingers through his hair. He was in deep. That was for sure.

Harry went up to see if Jackson needed help getting changed, but he was already dressed by the time he got there.

“Hey, bud,” Harry said, laying down on his bed watching as Jackson contently played with some _Transformer_ toys. 

“Hi, Daddy,” he said as he made car noises and exploding noises as he played.

“Did you have fun in the pool?” Harry asked, hanging his head over the mattress to watch him.

“Yeah!” Jackson said excitedly, looking over at his dad with a smile on his face.

“Good. Niko’s fun, huh?” Harry smiled back at him.

“She’s so much fun. I like when she threw me into the water,” he said brightly.

“She threw you into the water, huh?” Harry chuckled.

“Yeah! It was so much fun!” He said animatedly.

“Sounds like it,” Harry laughed. He watched Jackson for a few more moments before he pulled himself up from the bed. 

“I love you, dude,” he said, bending down to ruffle his wet hair.

“Love you, Daddy,” Jackson said as Harry made his way out of the bedroom, nearly smacking right into Niko in the process. His hands caught her hips as they steadied themselves. 

“Well…” She giggled, looking into his eyes with her hands on his chest.

“Sorry,” he smirked at her as his thumbs rubbed against her hips bones.

“It’s alright,” she told him, her cheeks blushing. 

Their embraced lingered longer than it should have. Julia could have very easily walked out of the office and witnessed their undeniable sexual tension. But that would mean she had to actually _leave_ the office, which she was doing less and less as the days went by. 

Harry pulled his hands away from her and took a step back.

“Uh… I should… I should go,” he told her awkwardly.

“Yeah. Yeah, sure,” she said, waving her hand through the air, stepping aside.

“I’ll, uh… I’ll see you, Niko,” he told her as he stepped around her.

“For sure, Mr. Styles,” she said, continuing on to Jackson’s room.

Harry made his way down the hallway and rounded the corner into the office. Julia was startled by his presence. 

“Harry,” she breathed.

“I’m gonna… I think I’m going to head down to LA to see what Louis’s up to. There’s nothing going on around here. The girls have the kids under control. Maybe you could ask one of them to cook dinner tonight?” His speech was fast and garbled. He just really felt like he needed to get out of the house before he exploded.

“Uh, yeah,” Julia said, looking as if she were shell-shocked.

“So, uh… yeah. I’ll see you when I get home. It might be late,” Harry said, turning back toward the door.

“Harry!” She said and he immediately turned to look at her.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“Are you alright? You seem a little bit flustered,” she said, sounding genuinely concerned.

“Oh, I’m fine. I think I’m just going a little stir crazy. I just need to get out of here for a while,” he told her.

“Okay,” she nodded.

“I’ll see you,” he said with a small wave before he took off out the office door. 

He made his way into the bedroom and changed his clothes into something less casual than the shorts and t-shirt he was wearing. Grabbing his wallet and cell phone from the dresser, he left the room and headed downstairs. He could hear Niko’s voice in the kitchen with the kids. She must have been feeding them their afternoon snack. He contemplated going in there to say goodbye to them, but he thought better of it – feeling as if he were in Niko’s presence again, he might lose it. 

A little while later, he was knocking at Louis’ front door. His wife, Liz answered with a smile. 

“Hey, Lizzy. Is your husband home?” Harry asked her as he gave her a hug.

“He’s down in the studio, as per usual,” she said, rolling her eyes with a smile. 

The thing about Louis was that he was just about as dedicated to his work as Julia was to hers. But the difference between them was that Louis knew when to quit and he knew that neglecting his family was completely out of the question. He knew that family was all anyone had in the end. 

Harry headed straight down to the home studio that he had a hand in helping create a few years back. Louis was sitting at the sound board with a guitar in his hand, strumming it idly. 

“Hey, mate,” Harry interrupted him.

“Harry, hey,” Louis smiled back at him. Harry took the seat next to him and put his elbows on his knees, running his hands over his face.

“What’s going on?” Louis asked in the tone where Harry was almost certain he already knew what was going on. Harry looked up at him through his eyelashes, giving him a look of guilt. 

“You didn’t,” he breathed.

“I did,” Harry told him. 

Louis sighed as he pulled the guitar from his lap and set it upright against the wall. 

“You had sex with her, Harry?” Louis asked. Harry nodded, sheepishly.

“Dude,” Louis breathed.

“I couldn’t help it,” he said, throwing his hands up.

“You couldn’t help it? Like, what? You tripped and ended up inside of her?” Louis scoffed with a laugh.

“Something like that,” Harry smirked at him.

“What are you going to do about Julia?” Louis asked.

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m here. I couldn’t be in the same house as both of them. I was freaking out about it,” Harry told him.

“That’s your guilty conscience,” Louis pointed out.

“I don’t regret it,” Harry told him honestly.

“Harry…” Louis sighed.

“I’m serious. She’s incredible, Tommo. _Uhh_. I just… I can’t get enough of her,” Harry told him.

“Then you need to make a decision. No, you know what you need to do? You need to realize, right now, that Julia is never going to change, Haz. She’s going to keep walking all over you like she has been for years. You need to do what’s best for you and those kids,” Louis told him sincerely.

“What’s best for the kids?” Harry choked out.

“Don’t get all pissy with me, okay. You need to open your eyes. You need to realize that a divorce is probably going to be easier on them then seeing how lonely their father is. Or god forbid, one day finding out their father has been cheating on their mother. You will end up the bad guy, Harry,” Louis told him. 

Louis’ words tore at him. There was a lot he refused to deal with and he knew it. There were so many bitter feelings harboring deep inside of him when it came to Julia. And he knew if he let them out, if he uncaged the beast, there was no way of bottling them back up. He would explode. 

Harry let out an aggressive sigh. 

“You just really need to make a decision,” Louis said finally.

Harry knew it. It was painfully obvious that he couldn’t just sleep around with the nanny behind his wife’s back. But that realization didn’t get him any closer to actually doing what he needed to do.

 Harry spent the rest of the night working on music with Louis. It had been so long since he actually sat down to create music. And doing so with Louis made it that much better. It was almost like old times again. 

 

Niko couldn’t exactly hide her disappointment when she saw that Harry wasn’t around for dinner.

“If you don’t mind my asking, where is Mr. Styles tonight?” She asked Julia.

“Oh, he headed to LA to spend some time with his friend, Louis,” Julia said as she picked through her meal. Niko’s heart sank. Was he going to be gone for upwards of a week again?

“Oh, will he be gone long?” She asked as nonchalantly as possible, trying to make it seem like she was just carrying on the conversation.

“He should be back late tonight. Why?” Julia asked, giving her an odd look.

“Oh, he just… he never wrote down the directions to the park where Jackson plays soccer,” Niko said, making up an excuse.

“Oh. He should be back, honey. Don’t worry. We’ll get them to you, I promise,” she chuckled. Niko nodded and went back to her own meal. 

Harry still wasn’t back by the time Niko headed to bed. It was sort of disappointing not being able to see him, but whatever. She fell asleep easily from being so worn out. She had an energetic round of sex in the morning and a day of swimming in the sun all afternoon. She was beat.

It was pretty late as Harry drove back to the house. He was certain everyone was in bed, fast asleep. That knowledge sent a shiver of excitement through him. He could easily sneak into Niko’s room instead of going up to bed. Julia would just think he was still at Louis’ if she were to wake up.  _Oh, god_. He thought of nothing else as he pulled into the driveway and quietly made his way up the front walk. He quickly made a beeline to the side of the house and made his way to the pool house, grabbing some of the condoms he had hidden in there. If he and Niko were really going to do this, they would need a supply in her room as well. 

It was incredibly dark as Harry crept down the hallway to Niko’s room. He prayed to God that Mary wouldn’t suddenly bustle out of her room, catching him in the act. When he reached Niko’s door, he quietly knocked, but got nothing in response. He slowly turned the handle and pushed the door open, finding the room dark. But the moon was so bright that its soft glow through the window illuminated Niko’s sleeping figure in the bed. She was incredible. Harry could have just sat there on the edge of her bed and watched her sleep. But he knew he couldn’t – that he needed to go up to bed at some point. 

Harry placed his hand on Niko’s arm, gingerly shaking her as he whispered her name. When it didn’t work, he tried a steadier shake. Still nothing. He continued to shake her and say her name out loud, which finally awarded him with her stirring. 

“Harry…?” He heard her tired voice respond to him.

“Oh my god, you are one of the hardest people to wake up. I’ve been down here for like five minutes,” he chuckled and she let out a low giggle.

“How was LA?” She asked as she sat up, running her fingers through her long blonde hair.

“It was fun. Louis wanted to get together,” he shrugged, not wanting to tell her he had a semi-mental breakdown and needed to talk to Louis about _them_. 

She nodded in response, leaning over to turn on the bedside lamp. Her full beauty was brought into view and he smiled because of it. 

“Are you up for round two?” He asked her hopefully. A smirk pulled up her lips as she looked at him.

“Is that a yes?” He smiled back at her.

“Yes… but hold on. I’ll be right back,” she said as she quickly got out of bed and dashed out the bedroom door faster than he could wrap his head around it. 

Niko dipped into the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth. She was not about to kiss him with morning breath.

Harry stared at the door for a few moments before crawled up in her bed, leaning against the head board to wait for her. When her door tentatively opened again and she slipped back inside, the excitement consumed him. She was only wearing a skin tight tank top and a pair of tiny shorts. He watched every move she made as she sauntered back to the bed. 

“Oh, I figured you’d be waiting for me naked in here,” she smirked playfully at him. Harry laughed, immediately sitting up to pull off his shirt. 

“That’s more like it,” she told him as she sat down on the bed.

“Here. Will you hold on to these?” He asked, pulling out the condoms from his back pocket.

“Oh, yeah. Sure,” she said, nodding her head as Harry leaned over to put them in her nightstand drawer.

When he pulled it open, his eyes pleasantly met with none other than a small pink vibrator.

“ _Ohh_ , what is this?” Harry asked, dropping the condoms in the drawer and pulling out the pink sex toy. Niko immediately started giggling as her face turned bright red.

“How often do you use this?” He asked curiously.

“Put it back!” She giggled, trying to grab for it. He clicked it on and his eyes widened in surprise.

“ _Ooh_ , this thing has some power,” he laughed.

“Seriously, put it back,” she said, reaching for it again.

“Naughty, _naughty_ girl,” Harry laughed as he put it back in the drawer as requested.

“Shut up,” she said, still looking rather embarrassed.

“Come here,” he said, pulling her on top of him as he laid down on the bed. 

Her lips met his and they began kissing pretty heavily. His hands trailed all over the backside of her body. She was incredible, so amazing. He pulled up her tank top and she let him take it off of her as her naked breasts pressed against his bare chest. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, he flipped her onto her back on the bed. He wanted to appreciate every inch of her body and he couldn’t do it with his body pinned down. 

Harry ran his hand over her chest and down her stomach before his mouth came down to follow the same trail. His fingertips dug into her hips as they moved their way down, gathering the fabric of both her shorts and panties with them. He pulled them off of her body with a gratifying moan as she came completely into view. She was literally a work of art that needed to be cherished. And he was ready to do just that. 

“So sexy,” Harry breathed and she giggled under his stare. 

Her hand trailed down her body and it sparked a naughty thought in his mind. 

“So, do you… do you ever think of me when you… _you know_?” He smirked at her, cocking an eyebrow playfully. Her giggles came out louder and her cheeks once again burned with blush.

“Well, do you?” He persisted.

“Maybe once or twice,” she shrugged, trying to act nonchalant about it. A wide grin formed on his face. 

“Oh, man. That is so hot,” Harry groaned as his hands moved slowly over her body, unable to keep himself from exploring her.

“First night here—” She smirked at him.

“You pleasured yourself to me on the first night?” He asked wide-eyed, cutting her off mid-sentence.

He didn’t need to hear anymore – he felt the sensations her words caused, directly in his cock. If he wasn’t already as hard as a rock her words sure as hell would have done it. 

She nodded her head and let out that bashful giggle. _Dear fucking god_. 

“Jesus,” he groaned as he pressed his lips hard against hers. She giggled into his kiss.

“I need you right now before I explode from sheer excitement,” he laughed, pulling up to look into her eyes.

“Here I am,” she said, offering herself up. She had no clue what she was doing to him. 

It took less than a minute for him to pull off his shorts, roll a condom on and position himself over her body. 

“I want to be on top,” she told him and his stomach turned with excitement. Harry smirked at her as they switched position. 

“Are you ready for this?” Niko smiled suggestively down at him as her palms pressed down on his bare chest.

“So ready,” he confirmed.

When she lowered herself down on top of him, he let out a groan. He very much enjoyed the vantage point. He was able to watch as she happily bounced her body on top of him, her breast bouncing in the sexiest possible way. And he loved being able to reach up and touch her whenever he felt like – which was pretty much the whole time. 

When he really felt his body reacting to her, when he knew he could lose it at any time, he grabbed onto her hips and started bucking his own up into her to help out, which caused her to gasp with every thrust. It was probably one of the sexiest things he heard in a long time. Just hearing her reacting to something he was doing to her – _oh god damn_.

When she grabbed onto the headboard to help steady herself, it only got better. She pulled up and came back down harder and deeper and _fuck_ – he was about to lose it.

“I am— _fuck_ , oh my god,” Harry groaned as he felt the tingling’s of orgasm deep within him.

“Don’t stop. Just… not yet,” she panted heavily, as she began moving faster and faster to try to push herself over the edge.

“Oh, god,” she whimpered and he knew she was close. 

When her body gave out, he knew it hit her. He gripped firmly onto her hips and kept the rhythm to get him there as well. Only a few more thrusts and he was busting into the condom.

“Oh, _fuck_ …” Niko moaned pleasingly, collapsing next to Harry on the bed.

“That was torture…” She panted, placing her hand on her forehead.

“Torture? Not the word I would use, but to each his own,” Harry chuckled as his chest heaved, trying to catch his breath.

“It was torture to not be able to scream out,” she giggled, turning her body toward his.

“Oh, god. I know. Maybe we should stick to the pool house rendezvous,” he suggested.

“I kind of like you sneaking down to my room at night. It’s hot,” Niko smirked over at him.

“Yeah?” He smirked wildly at her.

“Yeah,” she said with a confirming nod.

“We’ll have to have both then. And tomorrow… tomorrow Jackson has a soccer game. We can either go sight-seeing again or go somewhere… to be together,” he offered. 

She looked to the ceiling as she tapped her chin with her finger looking as if she were really thinking about it. 

“Hmm. We’ll see,” she smiled at him finally.

“Okay,” he chuckled, leaning over to give her another quick kiss before he sat up. Unfortunately, he really needed to get up to bed.

“Are you hitting it and quitting it?” Niko asked as she sat up on her elbows, watching him get out of bed. Harry let out a light laugh.

“It is two in the morning and I’m technically still in LA according to Julia. I should probably go up to bed,” he told her as he re-dressed himself.

“Alright,” she said, smiling at him from her spot on the bed. 

Harry took a few moments to really appreciate her from where he stood. She lay perfectly naked looking up at him with a small smirk tugging at her lips. Her breasts hung out in the open, her nipples flawlessly erect, making him want to just crawl back up in the bed and worship them once again. He would spend all night worshipping her entire body if he could – if she were really and truly his. But he couldn’t because he wasn’t hers. He was Julia’s and she was asleep upstairs thinking he was in Los Angeles with Louis. 

Harry quickly walked over to Niko, leaning down to plant a kiss on her lips. 

“Do me a favor and think of me the next time you use that,” he smirked at her as he pointed to the nightstand drawer that housed her vibrator.

“Who else would I think of when you fuck me like that?” She giggled.

“Fair point,” he chuckled, leaning in for one more kiss before he turned and headed for her bedroom door.

 “Goodnight, Nikola,” Harry said, smiling at her, giving her a wink as he was leaving.

“Goodnight, _Mr. Styles_ ,” she said with a hint of seduction in her tone. Harry chuckled lightly as he shut her door behind him.

 He snuck up to the bedroom he shared with his wife and pulled off all his clothes except for his boxer briefs, crawling into bed next to her.

 Julia rolled over from the movement of the mattress.

“Where have you been?” She asked, sounding as if she’d just woken her.

“Uh, Louis and I just lost track of time. We were working on some music,” he told her – which was only a half-truth, but at least it was a little true.

“Did you have fun?” She asked, rolling back over away from him.

“I always have fun with Louis,” he told her, letting his body relax into the mattress.

“Good,” she yawned.

Harry lay there in the silence thinking only of Niko and how he wished he was on top of her _or_ under her. It didn’t really matter, so long as they were touching.

 He fell asleep as memories of their late night romp replayed in his head.


	8. {eight}

Over the next couple of days, Harry and Niko met in the pool house every morning – unbeknownst to everyone else. It was naughty and it was dirty and they loved every second of it. Harry hadn’t yet surprised her again in her bedroom, but she wasn’t too broken up about it. She figured she needed her rest for their morning trysts anyway.

By the end of the next week, they were getting quite good at sneaking around with each other. Julia was deeper into her work than ever and sometimes would insist she miss dinner. How someone could work that much and enjoy it completely blew Niko away. She was missing everything. She was missing out on an amazing husband. She was missing out on her two amazing kids. She was missing out on life. It was ridiculous. But that was her cross to bear.

“Get your pretty little bum back here, young lady!” Harry laughed, grabbing onto Niko’s waist pulling her back onto the bed with him. She giggled wildly as her body bounced against the mattress and he jumped on top of her.

“I need sustenance. I need water. You’ve dehydrated me with all of your sex,” she giggled playfully.

“ _Mmm_. Am I too much for you, little girl?” Harry moaned against her collarbone as he kissed across her erogenous zone.

“I never said that,” she giggled.

“I’ll never get enough of you,” he breathed against her skin, losing himself quickly in her again.

“ _Oh, god_ ,” she groaned breathlessly as he bucked his hips into hers. 

They just got done with each other, but with her it was so easy to get himself to the brink again and again and again.  

“You’re going to kill me,” she said, her voice coming out breathlessly with her head tipped back and her eyes closed, his mouth working over her throat.

“No. I’m going to _pleasure_ you,” he corrected her, bucking his hips again.

“ _Ungh_ ,” she moaned loudly.

“Do you think you can handle that, Neeks?” He asked, his lips hovering above hers. Niko’s heart fluttered at the nickname. He’d never used it before, but she absolutely loved it.

“ _Oh, god_ ,” she whimpered.

“Just tell me how you want it,” he breathed, looking down in her eyes as they met with his.

 He could tell how crazy he was making her. Her eyes were black with lust, her breaths came out as soft pants, her fingernails dug lightly into the flesh of his back. 

“Tell me… _how_ … you want it,” he articulated.

“I just want you,” she whimpered.

“What was that?” He asked, smiling against her lips.

“I want you. I _only_ want you, Harry,” she said with greater force.

 He finally pressed his lips against hers. Her arms wrapping tightly around his neck as her lips moved hard and fast against his. When he pulled up lightly, she loosened her grip, falling lax against the mattress once again. 

“ _Oh my god_ ,” she breathed, holding her hand against her forehead.

 Harry smiled down at her before he reached over to the nightstand drawer and pulled out another condom. She watched as he prepared himself for her, a soft smile grazing her lips. He smiled down at her once he was ready, wedging his arm between her and the mattress before he flipped her onto her stomach.

“I’ll give your legs a break,” he breathed in her ear as she giggled.

“Thank you,” she sighed as she bit back a smile. 

Harry looked down at her naked backside, enjoying every curve, every beauty mark, every inch of her skin. His hand slid down her back from her shoulder blades down to the taut skin of her bum, before he grabbed onto both of her hips, pulling them up just enough for him to gain access to her. 

He slid himself in slowly, earning a soft moan from her that sent a gratifying tingle all throughout her body. She was absolutely perfect. Every second he spent with her made his feelings for her grow. And he knew it wasn’t exactly the smartest decision to keep their little affair going, but it was much too pleasing, much too addicting to let go of. 

“Oh, _fuck_. _Mm_ , Niko,” Harry groaned, feeling the pleasure racing through him. The angle he was entering her was hitting all new nerves, sending pleasing sensations to all new parts of his body.

“ _Oh my god_ , Harry,” she gasped as he began going faster with every thrust. Every sound she made brought him closer and closer to the edge.

“Oh my god, just— _oh my god_ ,” her voice came out high-pitched and breathy. Her fingers were dug into the sheets, clenching the fabric tightly in them as he continued. 

Harry’s fingers dug into her hips as he pushed and pulled her until his muscles in his arms and abdomen ached and burned. He was so close. A few more thrusts and he could easily come again. 

“Are you—are you there?” Harry groaned, looking down at her.

“ _Mmm_ , please. Keep… keep going,” she whimpered and he knew he needed to hold on for her – to get her there. He slowed only slightly to go deeper for her, to help push her along. 

“Oh-oh. God. _Ohhh_ ,” she groaned lowly, her body tensing, cueing his own orgasm. 

He let himself go with a loud grunt, falling forward against her, trying to catch his breath. 

“ _Jesus_ , Harry,” she breathed. He laughed against her shoulder blade.

“You’re going to kill me,” she giggled.

“I’d be glad to fuck you to death,” he laughed, leaving as kiss on the middle of her back.

“Oh, _Jesus_ ,” she laughed, trying to turn in his arms. 

Harry quickly rolled onto his back next to her and she was able to turn just enough so she was looking at him. Her big eyes stared right back into his as he swiped her hair out of her face. 

“You’re kind of amazing,” he told her.

“You’re more than kind of amazing,” she countered, smiling sweetly at him. 

Harry leaned in kissing her lips before he pulled back meeting her eyes again. Breaking the silence, breaking their perfect bliss, his cell phone ringtone ripped through the air. 

“ _Bloody hell_ ,” he sighed, breaking his vision away from hers as he ran his fingers through his hair. 

Harry sat up in the bed, wanting nothing more than to grab his phone and throw it against a wall so it wouldn’t disturb them again. But he knew he couldn’t. He quickly dug it out of the pocket of his shorts before he missed the call. He looked at the screen and almost regretted even bothering with it. It was Julia calling from her own cell phone. He sighed, answering his wife’s call. 

“Harry, where are you?” Julia asked immediately. 

He quickly grabbed for his shorts and started pulling them up his legs, almost feeling like she could sense that he was naked and doing bad things – even though he knew that was absolutely ridiculous. 

“I-I’m out for a run,” he lied.

“Oh. Well… are you going to the grocery store today?” She questioned.

“Uh, I can,” he told her, pulling his shirt over his head as well.

“We really need food. The fridge is completely bare,” she informed him.

“And you can’t go to the store?” He asked, rolling his eyes. She never put any effort toward any of the household day-to-day things. Her way of handling it was to pay someone to do it for her.

“I would if I wasn’t working,” she scoffed and Harry clenched his teeth together, feeling the annoyance.

“Uh-huh,” he grumbled.

“Can we just please not fight about this?” She snapped.

“Who’s fighting, Julia?” He scoffed, narrowing his eyes, even though he knew she couldn’t see him.

“Harry,” she sighed.

“I’ll go to the grocery store, Julia. _Don’t worry_ ,” he said, sharpening his tone.

“Thank you,” she said with a little sass in her tone.

“I’ve got to go,” he told her quickly. He was just going to get pissed if he stayed on the phone with her and he didn’t want to be pissed. Not when Niko was lying naked in bed.

“Alright,” she said and he swiped the _end_ button on his phone without another word.

Harry sighed as he threw his phone onto the bed next to him, running his fingers through his hair. 

“Daddy duties?” He heard Niko say.

Harry turned to look over at her, nodding his head. She was sitting up in the bed with the sheet pulled up her body. 

“I’m sorry,” he told her.

“Don’t apologize, Harry,” she said, shaking her head.

“I just… I like our time. I like keeping everything separated,” he said as he laid back against the mattress and scrubbed his knuckles into his eyes.

“Sometimes it has to overlap,” she told him quietly.

“Yeah,” he sighed.

“I’ll go with you… to the store. We can go after we drop Jackson off at soccer,” she offered.

“I’d like that,” he said, looking over at her with a smile.

…

The tension with Julia hit an all-time high the next morning when she informed Harry that she needed to fly back to New York to close the deal she was working on. 

“You’re joking, right?” He scoffed, looking at her in disbelief.

“No, Harry. I’m not joking. This is it. This is what I’ve been working on for months. I need to be there. This is my baby,” she explained in her shrillest voice.

“So you’re just gonna leave? For how long?” He growled at her as they stood in the front sitting room of the house, Julia’s second favorite spot in the house to do her work.

“Harry! This is beyond me, okay. I need to be there. This was _your_ idea to spend our summers in California. My life – my work is in New York,” she shrieked impatiently.

“Yeah. The thing is, Julia… that these days your life and your work are the same fucking thing. I don’t matter to you. The kids don’t matter to you!” He yelled at her, hoping his words would finally register with her.

“That is not true!” She snapped at him. Her blatant lie was comical to him, causing a dark laugh to escape his lips.

“Why are you laughing!?” She snapped, knitting her eyebrows angrily at him.

“Because, Julia. We’ve been here almost a month and you haven’t done _anything_ with this family! You spend all of your time in that damn office! I bet you don’t even remember what sport your son is playing this summer!” He shot at her.

“He plays… soccer. Soccer. He’s playing soccer,” she stammered, trying really hard to get it right.

“Oh, brownie points for mommy!” Sarcasm oozed out of his words as he clapped his hands for her correct answer.

“Harry! You are not being fair! You knew I was very into my work when you married me! I gave you the kids you wanted, when I didn’t even want to be a parent! I have given you myself, okay! I need to go to New York for a little while, please give me this,” she begged, trying to make him feel bad, but she only made his anger heighten.

“You’ve given me yourself? Ha! Not lately!” He scoffed.

“Harry…” She sighed, dropping her eyes away from his.

“How long has it been? _Months?”_ He shot at her.

“Is that what you want? Because we can go upstairs right now!” She said, getting worked up. He hardly wanted to sleep with her now – not when she was being such a callous bitch.

“You are _completely_ missing the point, Julia! The sex is just _part_ of the problems in our marriage!” He growled at her.

“Problems in our marriage? Since when are there problems?” She asked, looking almost devastated by his words. He stared at her in disbelief for a moment. Was she really as clueless as she was acting?

“Are you _kidding_ me? Did everything I just brought up go in one ear and out the other?” Harry asked, almost feeling like he was scolding one of the kids instead of his wife.

“ _Harry_ …” Julia said in her warning tone.

“No! You go to New York. Have a fucking blast. I’ll be here with the kids. We’ll be fine,” he shot at her, throwing his hands up in the air as he moved through the archway out into the hallway.

“Harry!” He heard her screech, but he was already throwing open the door that led out to the patio.

He decided he was just going to wait in the pool house and cool off until Niko could meet him out there. It took longer than it usually did for Niko to arrive. So long that he almost went to find her. But relief flooded his body when she finally walked in the door. He stood up from the couch and walked to her quickly. He wanted nothing more than to rip all of her clothes off and take her right then and there. 

“What took so long?” He asked her.

“I just wanted to give you some time to… cool down,” she told him and he sighed.

“You heard?” He asked, feeling embarrassed.

“Yeah, most of it,” she admitted, nodding sheepishly.

“Did the kids hear?” He asked, his heart dropping in his chest.

“No. I don’t think so. They were with Mary in the kitchen,” Niko told him.

“Good,” he said, taking a deep breath and letting it out hard.

“She’s… she’s going back to New York?” Niko asked quietly and Harry nodded somberly.

“For how long?” She asked, looking at him sympathetically.

“For as long as this fucking deal takes. It could be a couple days. It could be a week. It could be longer. I don’t fucking know,” Harry grumbled as he shrugged his shoulders, feeling the anger surge through him once again.

“I’m sorry,” she said somberly.

“I don’t want to talk about it, okay. I just want you,” he told her, looking her straight in the eyes.

Harry’s hands came up, grasping her face as he kissed her hard on the lips. She kissed back immediately as he led her backwards toward the bedroom. His fingers quickly began peeling away her clothing until she was sprawled out naked for him on the bed. 

“Just the way I like you,” he cooed, looking down at her perfect figure. 

Harry pulled his clothes off just as quickly and jumped on top of her, needing her so bad it made him ache. Every move he made, every kiss he left on her body was rough and heated. He was in a dark mood that even Niko couldn’t pull him out of. And she registered it quite easily. She let him take charge and when he was ready, he put the condom on and entered her without a word – just a satisfied groan. 

“Harry, give it to me rough. Let it all out,” she told him, looking straight into his eyes.

He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have a lover that was so in tune with his needs, so involved in giving back to him. In a perfect world, that role would be played by his wife. But it wasn’t a perfect world. In this imperfect world, he had Niko and she had him.

Harry’s thrusts were hard, fast and deep – rocketing into Niko with a large burst of energy each time. And each time he hit her spot, causing her to moan out loudly. His moans and groans were carnal, savage sounds penetrating the air. It was hot and exactly what she wanted to hear from him. 

He came inside of her with a long, drawn out grunt – before she had the chance to find her ending. But she didn’t care too much. Their romp was more for him. She wanted to be an outlet for him. A place he could lose himself – to drain the tension from his body. And as he lay on top of her in a listless serenity, she knew she did her job.


	9. {nine}

Harry didn’t speak to Julia for the rest of the night. He slept in the pool house and didn’t even bother being around the next morning when she was getting ready to leave. He just went for his run like it was any other morning. He ran a little further just to be sure he wouldn’t have to see her.

Niko watched as the kids cried for their mother as she was leaving, but she just kissed them on the forehead and told them to be good. She was surprised Julia didn’t catch any of the death glares she was sending her behind her back. As the black town car pulled out of the driveway carrying the wicked witch of the east back to her homeland, Harry came running around the house wearing his jogging gear and iPod buds in his ears – completely ignoring the fact that his wife was leaving. Mary was busy bustling the kids back inside for arts and crafts time, while Niko stood and watched as Harry stopped in the yard to begin his stretches. His body was so fabulously fit and just watching his muscles made Niko want him that instant. She walked over to him with determination.

“Pool house – now,” she said after pulling one of his ear buds out of his ear.

“But, I’m sweaty…” He started to protest as she began walking toward the exterior building.

“ _Now_ ,” she demanded, turning her head toward him, but continued on. _Well, then._  

Harry quickly ran to the main house and looked into the playroom window where he saw Mary with the kids, blissfully unaware of what he and Niko were doing – or about to do. He darted across the yard making his way into the pool house right after Niko. There was a trail of her discarded clothes leading all the way to the bathroom and he couldn’t help but smile, knowing she was naked, waiting for him. 

He found her in the bathroom, testing the heat of the streaming shower with her hand. His eyes roamed up and down her body, immediately feeling the excitement race through him. Fucking her in the shower was not a bad idea. 

“Why are you still clothed? Get your ass in here,” she said, turning toward him and smiled. 

He smiled back at her as he kicked off his running shoes and began removing what little clothing he had on until he was standing in front of her naked. He went straight for her, wrapping his arms around her from behind so they rested on her smooth stomach and kissed her shoulder blade. 

“Someone’s in control today,” he breathed against her skin.

“It looked like you needed a pick-me-up,” she told him as she turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Anything with you is a pick-me-up,” he told her honestly, looking down at his already hardening penis.

“I’m happy to help you out,” she said, smiling into a kiss. 

Harry really enjoyed all of this with Niko. She always seemed to know exactly what was going to get him going. But then again, having sex withheld for months made everything amazing now that he was finally getting some again. Niko pulled him in the shower with her, the hot water and her naked body feeling amazing against his skin.

“Let’s… let’s get you soaped up,” she giggled as his lips explored the curve of her neck.

“ _Mm-hmm_ ,” he hummed against her skin.

As she tried to lather him up, he was lost in her. He was trying to appreciate every inch of her skin with his hands and lips. She was so beautiful, so amazing. 

“You’re making this rather hard,” she giggled, squirming in his arms.

“You’re making _me_ rather hard,” he grinned at her. Her laugh was intoxicating. Everything about her was intoxicating.

Harry conceded and let her soap up his body, letting himself appreciate her taking care of him. He really did like her taking charge. 

“I like being washed. I should hire you to be my personal bather,” he suggested, smirking at her.

“There’s a fine line between personal bather and prostitute,” she quipped, smiling suggestively at him.

“No, see. I’d be paying you for the cleanliness, where as I would get the sex for free,” he chuckled.

“Nothing’s ever free, Mr. Styles,” she said, looking up at him as she lathered up his legs. 

She was absolutely right. There was a price to pay for everything. His price would be paid if Julia ever found out about their little affair. But he didn’t want to think about that. Or Julia. She wasn’t there, which meant he and Niko were in the clear as long as the kids and Mary were kept in the dark. 

“You really are good at this,” he maintained, smiling at her as she slid herself up his body, having finished washing his lower half.

“I give your kids baths every day. And I actual _do_ get paid for that,” she pointed out, smirking at him.

“I bet you’d make a good mum someday,” he added, smiling contently at her, thinking about how amazing Niko was with Jackson and Avery. She was a natural.

“Yeah… someday,” she said quietly and he realized he made her slightly uncomfortable with his comment.

“Okay, Mr. Styles. You’re all clean,” she said, changing the subject quickly.

“Are you going to shampoo me?” He questioned, smirking at her.

“If you so desire,” she replied, biting back a smile as he gave her a nod of his head. She giggled as she reached behind him for the shampoo, squirting a small bit into the palm of her hand. 

“Lean your head back and get your hair wet,” she coached him. He did as he was told and then she started to scrub the shampoo through his hair.

“Is there anything you aren’t good at? I guess my wife did something right for once,” he chuckled as her fingers worked all around his head.

“What? Hiring me?” She laughed.

“Yup,” he told her.

“Who knew things like soaping up her husband would become part of my job description?” Niko giggled.

“Who knew my wife would actually hire someone as ridiculously beautiful as you? She was playing with fire when she made that decision. She withholds sex and then tempts me with a gorgeous twenty-two year old. It’s absurd,” Harry chuckled as he rinsed the shampoo out of his hair.

“Yeah, not her best decision,” Niko laughed, biting at her lip.

“So, you came in here dominating me – wanting a piece, but end up washing all the dirtiness away. I think it’s time to get back to business,” Harry said, pinning her up against the shower wall.

“I think you’re right,” she giggled as she stretched out her arm and turned off the water.

“Let’s dry up and take this to the bed,” she suggested.

“ _Mm-hmm_ ,” he hummed against her skin as his lips moved across her collarbone. 

Niko slid out of his arms, stepping out of the shower. He watched as she grabbed a towel and began drying herself off. He stepped out after her and she immediately turned and started drying him off with her towel. 

“Washed and dried. It must be my god damn day,” he chuckled. Niko giggled and placed a kiss on his lips just before dropping the towel to the floor as she dashed out of the bathroom. 

“Come and get it, Styles,” she giggled from the bedroom.

“Oh, now I’ve got to catch my prey?” He laughed, immediately following her out. 

When he rounded the corner into the bedroom, Niko was laid out across the bed perfectly, just for him. His whole body reacted to her as the excitement surged up through his entire body. 

“Get over here,” she demanded and he wasn’t about to ignore her. 

His knees dropped onto the mattress almost immediately, as if he was under her spell. He probably would have done anything she asked of him in that moment. He watched as she leaned across the bed, grabbing a condom from the nightstand drawer. And he hummed out a pleasing sigh as she ripped it open and began rolling it down him. 

“It’s incredibly hot when you do that,” he groaned when she looked up at him, her hands still on his cock. 

She giggled lightly as she lay back on the bed and he positioned himself above her. He didn’t wait long before he pushed himself inside. He didn’t think he could wait another second to consume her and be consumed right back. He started off slow, really wanting to relish in what they were doing. He didn’t want it to end. He wanted to stay that close to her for as long as he could. He could deny it over and over to himself, but he knew what he felt for Niko was much, much more than he ever wanted to allow himself to feel for her. He was falling in love with her and he couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to stop. Julia took too much out of him and he had no will left in him to fight against it. 

Niko lay in his arms when they finished and it felt right. It felt like it was how it was supposed to be all along. He wanted someone who wanted him back. He _needed_ someone who wanted him back. 

“Thank you for… for yesterday,” he told her quietly. 

He felt her turn her head against his chest to look up at him and he found himself hesitating slightly to look back into her eyes. 

“For what?” She asked curiously and he couldn’t help but smile back at her bashfully.

“For… I don’t know… just being there, I guess. For… for allowing me to let it all out. I don’t know,” he chuckled awkwardly. Niko sat up quickly, still looking straight into his eyes. She looked so serious.

“Harry… whatever you need… I’m here,” she told him sincerely.

And he was certain in that moment he had truly fallen in love with her.


	10. {ten}

It was an odd thing, the way the whole house changed with Julia out of it. There was a freedom that could be felt. And Harry wasn’t entirely sure it was only him that could feel it. By the looks of it, both Jackson and Avery even seemed freer. Their smiles weren’t forced or absent. And he loved seeing them like that. 

“I love you, daddy,” Avery’s tiny voice chirped as he sat on the edge of her bed, tucking her in after Niko and Mary gave her a bath and dressed her in her pajamas.

“I love you so much, my beautiful girl,” he cooed, smiling as he leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead.

He felt her wrap her little arms tightly around his neck as she gave him a light kiss on the tip of his nose. His heart swelled for his little girl, the love of his life. 

“Sweet dreams, baby girl,” he told her as she dropped her arms and snuggled back into the bed with her stuffed dog, _Mr. Snuffles_.

“’Night, daddy,” she sighed as he stood up from her bed. When he turned around, he saw Niko standing in the doorway, smiling at him. 

“Oh, hi… Niko,” he said, startled that she was there, but he also felt himself react favorably to her presence in the way he usually did.

“Goodnight, Niko,” they heard Avery say.

“Goodnight, baby angel,” Niko said to Avery, walking over to her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Harry walked toward the bedroom door and Niko followed him, shutting off the light, leaving the soft glow of Avery’s princess nightlight to light up the room. 

“Hi,” Harry greeted Niko quietly.

“Hi,” she said, biting back a smile, ready to reach out to him. 

But both of their eyes registered Mary coming out of Jackson’s bedroom and they quickly turned away from one another.

“Is Jackson in bed?” Harry asked Mary quickly.

“Yes. He is waiting for you,” Mary said with a nod.

“Alright. Thank you,” he said, clearing his throat. Mary nodded again, moving down the hallway passed the two of them. 

“Hey… uh…” Harry stammered, causing Mary to stop in her tracks and turn to face him.

“I need to, uh… is it okay if the three of us talk? I want to talk to you both,” he told them with a master plan stewing in his brain.

“Uh, sure,” Niko said, giving him an odd look.

Niko wondered what he would possibly need to talk to both of them about. But then she remembered that, _yeah_ , they were technically his employees and there might be stuff he actually did need to talk to both of them about. But she still was left to wonder what about.

“Of course, Mr. Styles,” Mary said obediently.

“Just, uh… finish up whatever you’re doing and meet me down in the kitchen,” Harry told both of them.

“Of course,” Mary said, nodding her head.

“Thank you,” he said and she turned around, bustling off toward the bathroom, most likely to clean up from bath time.

“What do you need to talk to us about?” Niko whispered as she followed him down the hallway toward Jackson’s room.

“I’ll tell you in the kitchen,” he told her with a small smirk.

“ _Ohh-kay_ ,” she said as he turned into Jackson’s room.

“Hey, buddy,” he said, smiling at his son.

“Hi, daddy,” Jackson greeted him, looking incredibly tired.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Harry told him as he leaned down, giving him a kiss on the forehead.

“Yeah. Soccer tomorrow,” Jackson said, smiling as his eyes drooped with sleep.

“Soccer tomorrow,” Harry chuckled, nodding his head.

“I love you, Jacky,” Harry told him as he walked toward his bedroom door.

“I love you too, daddy,” he said, turning over to go to sleep.

Harry shut off his light and walked out of the room, half expecting Niko to be waiting there for him, but she wasn’t. He made his way down to the kitchen, finding both girls sitting at the breakfast table. Mary almost looked scared, like he was about to lecture them or something. But Niko was as confident and sexy as ever. And with Julia gone, he wanted nothing more than to take her to bed with him at the end of the night. 

“I just wanted to run something by the two of you,” he started off.

“Okay,” Niko said, while Mary sat there staring back at him.

“I really want to take the kids to Disneyland,” he told them, hoping that the tension Mary seemed to be feeling would die off.

“Oh, that would be so much fun!” Niko said, immediately perking up. Mary let a smile work over her lips, making Harry feel less awkward with her around.

“Yeah. I want the kids to be able to get out while we’re here in California and with Julia always working, it’s been kind of hard. So I want to do this,” he told them both, avoiding eye contact with Niko as he talked about his wife.

“So what do you need from us?” Niko asked curiously.

“Well, obviously I would like you both to come with us. But I would also need some of the logistics worked out. Like the ‘mum’ sort of stuff – like lists of stuff we’d need to bring for like an all-day Disneyland adventure. I’m no good at any of that stuff,” he told them, getting down to business.

“Mary, you’re really organized,” Niko pointed out, smiling over at her.

“I am. I can help you with that, Mr. Styles. When were you planning on making this trip?” Mary agreed, her eyes darting from Niko to Harry.

“I was hoping sometime within the next week,” he told her.

“Yes. I can help,” she said, smiling pleasantly at him.

“And I would be happy to help as well, Mary,” Niko told her.

“Great! You girls are the best,” Harry said happily, feeling elated that he would get to actually do something extra special for his kids.

“I’ve never been to Disneyland,” they heard Mary’s timid voice, causing them to both look over at her.

It was an odd thing when Mary conversed about her life, because she rarely did. She acted so professional and put-together most of the time.

“I haven’t either,” Niko added.

“I used to live here, so I’ve been there quite a bit,” Harry chuckled, remembering his younger years.

“Oh, yeah. You and your _boy band_ ,” Niko teased, causing him to smile widely at her as a blush crept up his cheeks.

“Hey, we were more than just a boy band,” he protested and Niko giggled at his response.

“You guys want some wine?” Harry asked the two of them on a whim.

“Sure,” Niko told him, perking up even more.

“Mary?” He asked. She hesitated, looking even more uncomfortable than usual.

“Jesus drank wine, Mary,” Harry told her, trying to hold back a laugh. She was shut up so tight. She needed to loosen up.

“One glass would be fine,” she answered quietly.

“Good girl,” he snickered, getting up to retrieve the bottle and the glasses. 

The more wine Niko drank, the more talkative she got. It was actually kind of hilarious. And Harry loved being able to talk with her so freely. Not as freely as he would if they were in the pool house with one another, but free enough without Julia’s presence around the house. Mary was still pretty quiet, but he could see her cheeks getting red as she drank – a tell-tale sign of a drunken state. 

Every time Mary’s glass would get close to getting empty, Niko would pour more in it. Harry figured Mary was going to stop her the first time she did it, but she just eyed Niko and kept drinking. 

“So Mary, do you have a boyfriend?” Niko asked her. Harry already knew the answer. Being as religious and conservative as Mary was, there was no way she would let a boy into her life.

“ _Do you?”_ Mary countered her question quickly, without answering.

Harry’s eyes shot to Niko, so intrigued by the question. Would she say yes or no? He knew he _wasn’t_ her boyfriend, but he wondered if she would acknowledge him as one just for fun – like a little inside joke between the two of them. 

“No, I don’t. You?” Niko answered and countered back to Mary immediately, eyeing Harry out of the corner of her eye. He smirked at her, shaking his head slightly.

“I don’t,” Mary told her, looking down at her hands.

“Have you ever had a boyfriend?” Niko asked, continuing the conversation.

“That is quite personal,” Mary said, her eyes shooting up to Niko’s as he pursed her lips together.

“Well, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” Niko chuckled, taking another sip of her wine.

“No, I have never had a boyfriend,” she answered quietly.

“And you know what, Mary? That’s okay,” Harry told her, trying to make her feel less awkward.

“It is. Who needs ‘em anyway?” Niko giggled and Harry could tell she was getting a little drunk. Mary giggled at Niko and he knew she was feeling it too.

“How many boyfriends have you had, Niko?” Harry asked, feeling exceptionally curious about it.

“Oh _jesu_ —uh, jeez,” she giggled, catching herself from taking Jesus’ name in vain for Mary’s sake.

“I don’t know. I had a few in high school. And a few in college,” she chuckled, shrugging her shoulders.

“Boys are just a distraction,” Mary added, causing Harry and Niko’s heads to turn quickly in her direction.

“Hey, I _resent_ that,” Harry laughed, feigning offense.

“You are. You most definitely are,” Niko giggled, looking over at Harry, causing him to cock his eyebrow at her.

“I focus on my school work. I will look for a husband when I am through with school,” Mary continued talking.

“But what about fun, Mary? Boys are a lot of fun,” Niko said, sneaking a sly look in Harry’s direction.

“I will not have sex before marriage,” Mary stated matter-of-factly.

“Mary, there’s a lot more to boys than just sex, you know,” Niko told her. Mary shrugged nonchalantly as she took another sip of her wine.

“Or… um, do you… are you like… into girls?” Niko asked awkwardly. 

Harry’s eyebrows heightened as his lips formed into an ‘O’ at her question, not really knowing how Mary was going to react to a question like that. 

“No. Absolutely not,” she said as her cheeks blushed a deep shade of pink.

“There isn’t anything wrong with it. I just… I don’t want to offend you either way,” Niko told her. Mary nodded, not speaking anymore on the subject.

“Okay, changing the subject… So yeah, Disneyland will be fun,” Niko said awkwardly, sending Harry a wide-eyed look.

“Yes, yes,” Harry said, clearing his throat, feeling just as awkward. 

Moments later, his phone rang and he saw his wife’s name flash across the screen. 

“It’s Julia. Excuse me, please,” Harry told them as he got up from the table to take the call in the other room.

“Hello,” he answered once he reached the living room.

“Harry, hi,” he heard his wife’s voice.

“Julia it’s—half past one in the morning in New York. What are you still doing up?” He asked, looking at the clock that read ten-thirty.

“Working. I’ve been working non-stop since I got back,” she told him. His jaw clenched with her words.

“That’s why I called,” she continued.

“Of course it is,” he grumbled. She didn’t call to see how her family was doing, she only called because of work. 

“ _Harry_ ,” she sighed.

“What, Julia?” He growled.

“I… it’s going to take a little longer than planned,” she told him.

“A little longer than planned?” He shot back at her. He could feel the anger growing in his chest.

“I am working day and night here, Harry. I am trying my best,” she snapped.

“Well, your best isn’t good enough, Julia,” he snapped forcefully.

“Harry—” She started to say, but he pulled the phone away from his ear and hung up on her. 

Niko and Mary sat at the kitchen table for a few moments in an awkward silence after Harry left to take Julia’s phone call. Niko felt really bad for even suggesting that Mary was a lesbian. Although there is nothing wrong with it, in her opinion, there were some people – especially some really conservative, religious people that would take great offense to it. 

“Nikola, can I ask you something?” Mary asked quietly.

“Uh, sure,” she told her.

“What do you and Mr. Styles do when you go into the pool house during the mornings?” She asked quietly. She couldn’t even look up at Niko when she said it. She just looked down at her hands folded neatly in her lap.

 Niko’s heart fell into her ass. She was frozen in apprehension – just about gasping for air. _Oh god, oh god_. 

“Uh…” Niko stammered, at a loss for words.

“And I know he still goes with you to bring Jackson to soccer and you don’t come back for hours,” she added. _Shit, shit, shit._ They were about to be caught by the _Virgin Mary_. Niko needed to think fast _._

“Uh… we’ve been… we’ve been planning Julia… uh, Mrs. Styles’ birthday party… you know it’s coming up at the end of the summer,” Niko said quickly, hoping it was enough to sate Mary’s curiosity. When she nodded her head, Niko felt relief flood her system.

“He didn’t want to throw one, but Julia insisted. So yeah, don’t say anything to Mr. Styles about it because he’s pretty bitter about it. He will just be put into a bad mood over it. It’s been a struggle working with him on it,” Niko said, coming up with a seemingly perfect lie. Mary nodded looking as though she bought the idea of it.

Niko’s heart rate was slowly starting to come back down when Mary took another swig of her wine, dropping the subject. _Holy shit._ That was a close one.

When Harry walked back into the kitchen, Niko looked a little shell-shocked and he wondered if it was because she heard his and Julia’s fight. 

“I think I need to go to bed,” Mary said, finally finishing off her glass before Niko had a chance to refill it.

“Are you sure you don’t want another glass?” Niko asked, smirking at her, trying anyway.

“I’ve had quite enough, thank you,” she said, smiling lightly as she got up from her chair, stumbling just a little. 

Niko bit back a laugh as best as she could until Mary exited the room. 

“I can’t believe she drank as much as she did,” Harry chuckled.

“Me neither,” Niko said, smiling to herself as she took a sip of her wine.

“You kept refilling her glass. That was brilliant,” he said, completely amused by it.

“Harry, we need to talk,” Niko said, her face growing serious. His eyes met with hers as his smile dropped from his face.

“Uh-oh. What does that mean?” He asked her with a tiny smirk on his lips.

“Come here,” she said, getting up from her chair. 

Harry pulled himself out of his own chair and followed her out of the kitchen and onto the back patio, wondering what the hell she seemed so weirded out about. 

“What is going on, Niko?” He asked her finally.

“You need to throw a birthday party for Julia,” she told him, only confusing him further.

“What? Why?” He asked, his eyebrows knitting together as he looked at her.

“Because I told Mary you were,” she said, seeming hyped-up about something.

“Why would you tell her that?” He asked, still unbelievably confused.

“Because she asked me what you and I do when we go into the pool house in the mornings,” Niko explained finally.

“ _Nah-uh_. She’s seen us?” He gasped.

“Yeah and I had to come up with something fast. Thank God she has lived a sheltered life and believes things people tell her,” Niko sighed.

“Oh my god,” Harry said, stepping back slightly to think about what she just told him. Mary saw them going into the pool house together.

“Maybe we should… slow down with each other,” Niko stammered. Harry’s eyes shot up to hers and she couldn’t do anything but avoid looking at him.

“Niko… no. I-I don’t want to,” he told her.

“Harry, we’re gonna get caught,” she said, finally looking into him eyes.

“We’ll have to be sneakier,” he told her. They could make it work.

“Harry…” She sighed.

“Niko, it’ll be fine,” he said, trying to reassure her.

“What if Julia saw us going into the pool house?” She countered.

“Julia’s not here and won’t be here for a while,” he told her, disregarding that train of thought altogether.

“Harry…” She said again.

“Niko,” he replied as he grabbed onto her arms and moved her away from the view of the French doors.

“I need this, do you understand?” He said, gently pinning her between him and the exterior of the house. He needed her to know what she meant to him, how crazed he’d be without her. 

All it took for him was to see her head nod and his lips were on hers for a hungered, frenzied kiss. When he pulled away, they were both breathing heavily. 

“It seems like you need it too,” he said, looking deeply into her eyes. 

Her eyes stared back into his as he waited for any kind of response from her. 

“Do you need this, Niko?” He asked finally.

“Yes,” she breathed quietly. 

Harry’s heart flourished for her as he leaned in, kissing her lighter and more lovingly than before. 

“Will you come upstairs with me tonight?” He asked her.

“In your room?” She choked out.

“We can use one of the other rooms if you want,” he offered, hoping she’d say yes.

“No. It’s fine,” she told him and a smile formed for her on his lips.

“Good,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose before he grabbed her hand and led her into the house with him. 

Having Niko in the bedroom he shared with his wife – even though it was just a rental home – was strange, but it was also adventurous and sexy at the same time. And it wasn’t like Julia made love to him in that bed, not since the summer before anyway. 

Harry closed the door behind them carefully before he grabbed Niko in his arms, pinning her against the wall as he kissed her. His hands moved swiftly along all her curves, appreciating every inch they touched. When it wasn’t enough, his fingers slowly started to peel away her clothing as his mouth moved over every body part he exposed. Her soft moans were only adding to his desire and he wanted nothing more than to be inside of her, filling her with pleasure. 

Niko’s fingers came down, pulling up the fabric of his shirt and he let her pull it off of him before their lips met back up and her arms wrapped around his neck. Harry grabbed onto her hips, pulling her tightly against him. He walked her backwards toward the bed and once they got to the mattress, Harry stumbled slightly and they both toppled onto it. Niko let out a loud giggle as they did, which made Harry laugh. 

“There’s all sorts of gravity in here,” he chuckled.

“Yeah, we can blame the gravity,” she giggled as she began to kiss him again. 

When they were finally naked with each other, when he wanted so badly to push inside of her, he remembered one tiny little, shitty detail. 

“Fuck…” He breathed, closing his eyes tightly.

“What?” She asked, looking up at him.

“All the condoms are in your room and in the pool house,” he told her with a sigh.

“Uh… well. Um, I’m on birth control,” she told him quietly. He stared down into her eyes for a few moments. _Well, hell…_

“I mean, are you sure?” He asked her.

“I think I would know if I was on birth control,” she giggled, biting at her lip.

“No, I mean, are you sure you want to do it without a condom?” He laughed at her silliness.

“Oh. _Ha_. Yeah. I mean, you don’t have any diseases, right?” She asked – which in hindsight, it might have been something she should have asked before they slept together the first time.

“No. You?” He asked her, quirking an eyebrow.

“None,” she told him.

“So, we’re good then?” He confirmed.

“We’re good,” she said with a nod. 

Harry quickly slipped atop her, looking down into her bright blue eyes, realizing she was just about everything he was looking for in a partner. She was everything that Julia was not and the realization of that hit him hard. To keep from showing any emotion, Harry slowly pushed inside of her, burying his face into the nape of her neck.

“Oh my god. It feels so much better without a condom,” Harry moaned lightly.

“Does it?” She giggled.

“ _Oh god_ , yeah,” he moaned, feeling the pleasure shooting through him from just the single movement he was making.

“Then why are we using them?” She chuckled.

“Good question,” he asked, looking down into her eyes once he was fully inside of her.

Harry leaned down, giving her one last passionate kiss before he began the act itself. Once he got his rhythm going, he had her moaning louder than she probably should have been in a house where his children were fast asleep in their beds. Luckily enough, both of their bedrooms were far enough away that they wouldn’t hear anything due to the thick walls of the old house. 

“Harry. _Oh, god_ ,” she whimpered as the pleasure engulfed her.

“Good?” He questioned as he kept up his rhythm.

“So good, _so good_. Don’t stop,” she moaned, biting her bottom lip as her eyes closed. Harry loved watching her. He loved seeing the pleasure on her face. Pleasure he was giving her.

“You feel amazing,” he groaned, letting her know how she was making him feel.

“ _Oh my god_ , Harry,” she moaned in a high-pitched voice as her body contracted lightly from orgasm.

“You feel so good, Niko,” he groaned, keeping up his break-neck speed as he felt the tingling of orgasm hitting him.

“ _Oh_ , Harry,” she whimpered, digging her fingertips into his bare back as he kept up.

Moments later, he lost himself in her, letting out a large breath before he collapsed down on top of her beautiful, naked body. 

“ _Oh my god_ ,” she breathed out heavily.

“That was amazing,” he said as his chest heaved with exhaustion. 

Harry resituated himself on the bed so he wasn’t completely crushing her, but he stayed in her arms, their naked bodies pressed perfectly together. The safety and security he felt with her was priceless and before he knew it, he fell asleep in her arms.


End file.
